OpenAI must hand over internal hiring records, interview scripts, and private chat logs to Apple within days.
U.S. District Judge Edward Davila granted Apple expedited discovery on Monday in its ongoing trade secrets litigation against OpenAI. The ruling gives Apple direct visibility into how the artificial intelligence company recruited engineers for its robotics and consumer hardware teams ahead of its planned device launch.
Under the court order, OpenAI has five days to surrender hiring materials it has already assembled. Any remaining files linked to the interview process must follow within 14 days. Apple secured access to interview checklists, technical presentations, evaluation guides, and instructions, alongside records indicating whether job discussions touched on proprietary Apple parts or technologies.
Davila also cleared the way for Apple to depose three key figures: OpenAI chief hardware officer Tang Yew Tan, alongside OpenAI staff members Chang Liu and Alyssa Peng. All three previously worked for Apple. The court also ordered the disclosure of private messages exchanged on the LINE messaging platform between Liu, Peng, and other individuals named in the filing.
Apple sued OpenAI in July, alleging an intentional effort to siphon trade secrets. In court filings, Apple claimed departing personnel used company-issued laptops to download confidential files detailing unannounced products, engineering slides, technical specifications, and proprietary project roadmaps. Apple further claimed that staff who had already joined OpenAI coached prospective recruits still working inside Apple on what technical data to bring to their job interviews.
Narrowed Access to Hardware Blueprints
Apple did not get everything it asked for. Judge Davila refused to grant expedited access to OpenAI's internal research and development files covering power management systems and metal finishes. The judge similarly turned down broader discovery requests seeking a full look at OpenAI's hardware research or a complete accounting of everything former Apple engineers built after switching companies.
Davila noted that Apple could narrow the scope of those requests and petition the court again later.
The dispute comes as OpenAI accelerates work on its inaugural consumer hardware device, a project intended to establish an alternative computing interface to modern smartphones. OpenAI must now complete its first document transfer by the end of the week.
TBFiled by The Tech Business Desk
Big tech, startups, earnings, regulation and policy — the decisions that shape the products.
More from this desk →
Be the first to comment
Join the argument. No password, just your email or a passkey.