Apple just sued OpenAI in federal court for trade secret theft.
The allegation is sweeping. Apple says OpenAI's Chief Hardware Officer Tang Tan, who spent 24 years at Apple as VP of product design for the iPhone and Apple Watch, ran a coordinated campaign to steal confidential information after leaving for OpenAI.
According to the complaint, Tan used Apple's confidential project code names during the recruiting process, asked job candidates to bring Apple hardware components to their interviews, coached departing Apple employees on how to evade security procedures, and solicited details about unannounced products.
He's not alone. Apple also names Chang Liu, a former senior systems electrical engineer who allegedly failed to return an Apple-issued laptop and used it to download confidential technical documents before joining OpenAI. Liu then reportedly shared that information with other Apple employees applying to OpenAI, advising them on what to study for their interviews.
This matters because OpenAI is rumored to be building its first consumer hardware product, likely a smartphone that replaces apps with AI agents. If true, it would be a direct threat to the iPhone. Jony Ive's device startup io was acquired by OpenAI last year for $6.5 billion to help with the hardware push. While io was named in the filing, Ive was not.
Apple sent OpenAI a letter in February raising concerns. OpenAI never responded.
The AI arms race is now a full-blown legal war between two of the most powerful companies on the planet.
The allegation is sweeping. Apple says OpenAI's Chief Hardware Officer Tang Tan, who spent 24 years at Apple as VP of product design for the iPhone and Apple Watch, ran a coordinated campaign to steal confidential information after leaving for OpenAI.
According to the complaint, Tan used Apple's confidential project code names during the recruiting process, asked job candidates to bring Apple hardware components to their interviews, coached departing Apple employees on how to evade security procedures, and solicited details about unannounced products.
He's not alone. Apple also names Chang Liu, a former senior systems electrical engineer who allegedly failed to return an Apple-issued laptop and used it to download confidential technical documents before joining OpenAI. Liu then reportedly shared that information with other Apple employees applying to OpenAI, advising them on what to study for their interviews.
This matters because OpenAI is rumored to be building its first consumer hardware product, likely a smartphone that replaces apps with AI agents. If true, it would be a direct threat to the iPhone. Jony Ive's device startup io was acquired by OpenAI last year for $6.5 billion to help with the hardware push. While io was named in the filing, Ive was not.
Apple sent OpenAI a letter in February raising concerns. OpenAI never responded.
The AI arms race is now a full-blown legal war between two of the most powerful companies on the planet.
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