OpenAI Accuses Apple Hire Of Taking 100+ Confidential Files Tied to Unreleased Product
OpenAI has accused a former employee who joined Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) of transferring more than 100 files related to an unreleased product to a personal account and later presenting the work to Apple’s senior leadership, escalating a trade-secrets battle between the two companies.
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In a court filing submitted Tuesday in federal court in San Jose, California, OpenAI warned that its confidential research could be used to develop competing Apple products, Reuters reported.
Benzinga contacted OpenAI and Apple for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
The company also pointed to Apple’s launch of HomeView this week as an example of the iPhone maker’s expanding AI ambitions.
“OpenAI is very concerned that its trade secret and confidential information is now circulating inside Apple, where Apple engineers can shape Apple’s upcoming products based on OpenAI’s confidential and innovative work,” the company said in the filing.
Apple said it has procedures designed to prevent new hires from bringing confidential information from previous employers and has found no evidence supporting OpenAI’s allegations, Reuters reported.
The dispute follows Apple’s broader legal offensive against OpenAI. Apple has accused OpenAI of recruiting its employees to obtain confidential information about unreleased hardware, engineering processes and product development.
In July, Apple reportedly sent preservation notices to roughly 40 former employees now working at OpenAI, instructing them to retain documents and communications potentially relevant to the case. OpenAI has denied Apple’s allegations.
Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Edward Davila partially granted Apple’s request to expedite access to certain digital records connected to OpenAI. The judge also allowed Apple to collect data from devices associated with some former employees and to depose three people on an accelerated schedule.
The depositions include Chang Liu, a former senior system electrical engineer, and Tang Yew Tan, a former vice president of product design for the iPhone and Apple Watch, and Alyssa Peng.
The case is currently scheduled for trial in October 2027, although OpenAI has said it could be ready to proceed as early as June 2027, Reuters reported.
The legal fight highlights growing competition between the companies as OpenAI expands beyond software and into consumer hardware. Apple has integrated ChatGPT into features across its ecosystem, while OpenAI’s acquisition of former Apple design chief Jony Ive’s AI startup has positioned the ChatGPT maker as a potential rival in consumer devices.
OpenAI is reportedly developing AI-powered hardware, including a smart speaker that could arrive as early as 2027. The effort could put the companies in more direct competition over the future of AI-powered consumer technology.
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