Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and two former employees, accusing them of stealing the tech giant's trade secrets. The complaint, lodged Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges that the ex-employees misappropriated Apple's confidential information for the benefit of OpenAI.
According to the lawsuit, the employees, identified as Chang Liu, a former senior systems electrical engineer, and Tang Yew Tan, a former VP of product design, allegedly took unreleased Apple technology with them when they joined OpenAI in 2024 and this year, respectively. "This case is about Apple’s former employees stealing Apple’s trade secrets for the benefit of OpenAI," the lawsuit states.
Apple emphasized its commitment to protecting intellectual property. "At Apple, our teams are constantly developing breakthrough technologies to create the best products and services in the world, and protecting their work and intellectual property is something we take very seriously," an Apple statement read. "Recently, significant evidence has emerged suggesting individuals employed by OpenAI wrongfully took Apple’s secret and confidential information regarding our unreleased technologies, processes, and products. We will always defend our teams’ hard work and innovations, and we are taking all appropriate steps to do so."
OpenAI has been contacted for comment. The situation is developing.