Apple has sued OpenAI, accusing the creator of ChatGPT of systematically stealing trade secrets about devices under development. According to the complaint filed in federal court in California, the AI startup allegedly encouraged job applicants from Apple to bring prototypes and components of unannounced gadgets to interviews. Apple says the rival’s hardware business is built on stolen intellectual property and is seeking a court injunction to bar the use of those materials as well as monetary damages.
Besides OpenAI, the defendants named include former Apple engineers Chan Liu and Tang Yu Tan (head of hardware at OpenAI). The complaint alleges Liu exploited a vulnerability on a company‑issued laptop that had not been returned to download dozens of confidential files. Tan is accused of emailing himself data on Apple suppliers and collecting information via candidates during interviews. OpenAI has denied the accusations, saying the company is focused on its own technologies and is not interested in other firms’ secrets.
The suit also confirms the breakdown of a partnership in which the companies had been planning to integrate ChatGPT into Siri. Relations reportedly deteriorated after OpenAI’s high‑profile moves, including its $6.5 billion purchase of Studio IO, founded by former Apple designer Jony Ive. The conflict has come at a difficult time for Apple: a shortage of AI chips forced the company to raise gadget prices, triggering market turmoil in Asia and temporarily costing it its position as the world’s second‑most valuable company by market capitalization.
