(CUPERTINO, USA) – Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and two of its employees, claiming the artificial intelligence company gained access to valuable internal information by hiring former Apple staff. The legal action, lodged in a federal court on Friday, also names the startup io Products, a venture founded by Apple’s former chief designer Jony Ive and later bought by OpenAI.
Apple’s complaint accuses the defendants of what it describes as a systematic theft of confidential information tied to the development of new products and related activities. The company argues that OpenAI used the knowledge and insider access of former Apple personnel to speed up its own entry into the consumer hardware market.
Two former Apple employees are named as individual defendants. Chang Liu worked as a senior electrical engineer at Apple for eight years. Tang Yue Tan, who dedicated 24 years to the company, previously served as vice president of design for the iPhone and Apple Watch and now holds the position of director of hardware at OpenAI. Apple says both individuals had deep access to secret projects, key partner relationships, proprietary manufacturing techniques and products that had not yet been announced.
The lawsuit states that OpenAI was able to learn details about Apple’s future product plans through these hires. Apple further alleges that during interviews with current Apple employees, OpenAI representatives tried to obtain extra closed information. Candidates were reportedly asked to bring real details from Apple as props for their interviews. Apple claims all defendants acted together, using confidential company information to give OpenAI an unfair advantage in consumer hardware.
The court filing also asserts that at least two former Apple employees who moved to OpenAI emailed internal Apple information to themselves. Apple states that OpenAI’s misconduct has become systemic and is supported by its leadership, arguing that the company’s hardware business is built on the illegal use of appropriated trade secrets.
An OpenAI spokesperson, Drew Pusateri, told the BBC that the company is focused on creating innovative technologies that empower people worldwide and has no interest in the trade secrets of other companies. He added that OpenAI is currently reviewing the lawsuit. A representative for Apple told the BBC that the lawsuit is based on strong evidence and noted that the company tried to discuss its concerns with OpenAI in February but received no response.
Apple is asking the court to immediately stop OpenAI from obtaining or using any allegedly confidential information. The company is also seeking damages, though the amount has not been made public. No local currency figures were specified in the initial filing. For reference, damages claims in major US technology lawsuits can run into hundreds of millions or even billions of US dollars. At current exchange rates, 100 million US dollars is equivalent to roughly 79 million British pounds.
The legal battle adds to a growing list of disputes in the artificial intelligence sector over intellectual property and talent. Earlier reports noted that Elon Musk is seeking up to 134 billion US dollars (approximately 106 billion British pounds) from OpenAI and Microsoft, claiming he deserves a share of what he calls their wrongful profits because he was an early investor in the AI startup.
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