Bobby Cook
Apple accuses OpenAI of building its hardware ambitions on stolen trade secrets, according to a federal lawsuit filed Friday in the Northern District of California. The suit names OpenAI, its hardware acquisition io Products, and two former Apple employees, escalating what began as a software partnership into a courtroom fight over confidential product data.
What Apple's Complaint Against OpenAI Actually Alleges
The 41 page filing centers on two individuals. Tang Tan, now OpenAI's chief hardware officer, spent roughly 24 years at Apple and rose from product designer to vice president overseeing iPhone and Apple Watch design before leaving for io Products in 2024. Apple claims Tan used confidential Apple codenames while recruiting for OpenAI, pushed interviewers to disclose internal secrets, and told candidates to bring physical Apple hardware components into interview sessions. The second defendant, Chang Liu, a member of OpenAI's technical staff, allegedly downloaded dozens of confidential files covering technical specifications, engineering presentations, and data tied to unreleased products. Apple also says Liu coached an Apple employee on evading internal security checks while copying files, and that OpenAI used insider knowledge of Apple's supplier network and internal terminology to approach the same vendors and contractors.
Apple's language is blunt. The complaint states that OpenAI has been stealing trade secrets
Franklin Gonzales
Christina Shaw