The legal fight between Apple and OpenAI over hardware trade secrets just turned into a two-way street. In a federal court filing, OpenAI claimed an ex-worker transferred sensitive technical data to personal accounts before heading back to Cupertino and briefing Apple management.
According to the filing, the unnamed employee worked at Apple, spent six months at OpenAI, and then returned to Apple. Before leaving, the worker allegedly took more than a hundred confidential records. OpenAI told the court those files contained manufacturing details and full pictures of an unreleased hardware product. The same employee then reportedly gave a presentation detailing OpenAI's product roadmaps to senior executives at Apple months ago.
OpenAI stated it fears engineers in Cupertino are now using those trade secrets to shape Apple's own AI devices. OpenAI said it reached out to Apple directly to seek assurances that none of the files were retained or put to work, but received no confirmation. As a result, OpenAI wants court permission to dig into the matter and bring counterclaims.
Apple told Reuters that an internal review turned up no proof backing OpenAI's allegations. The company noted that it maintains strict policies barring new hires from using material taken from former employers.
Escalating Claims in District Court
The dispute began from the opposite direction. Apple initiated the lawsuit in July, claiming former staff members Chang Liu and Tang Tan took trade secrets when moving to OpenAI to work on consumer hardware. OpenAI pushed back sharply at the time, calling the legal action personal and reckless while insisting it has no interest in using Apple's technical property.
That dispute is already progressing fast. The court partially approved Apple's plea for expedited discovery, giving OpenAI a two-week deadline to turn over interview files and forensic logs related to ex-Apple personnel. Alyssa Peng, along with Liu and Tan, must sit for depositions once those documents are processed.
OpenAI faces immediate pressure on that front. District Judge Edward Davila indicated in a hearing that he will very likely grant a preliminary injunction barring OpenAI from deploying any contested Apple trade secrets. Such an order could stall OpenAI's quiet push into physical consumer devices just as its own hardware division attempts to find its footing.
TBFiled by The Tech Business Desk
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