Apple widens OpenAI case with letters to 40 ex-employees

Apple has reportedly sent legal preservation letters to around 40 former Apple employees now working at OpenAI, widening the scope of its trade secret fight with the company.

According to the Financial Times, Apple believes the alleged misuse of confidential information may reach beyond the individuals named in its original complaint. The move follows Apple’s lawsuit filed last week, which accuses OpenAI of a coordinated effort to obtain confidential information tied to hardware engineering and product development.

Apple says OpenAI recruited key engineers including former Apple executives Tang Tan and Chang Liu, then benefited from proprietary designs, manufacturing processes, and other trade secrets. Tan, now OpenAI’s Chief Hardware Officer, spent 24 years at Apple and led product design. Liu joined OpenAI’s hardware team after serving as a senior system electrical engineer at Apple.

The complaint also says more than 400 former Apple employees now work at OpenAI, suggesting the alleged misconduct may be broader than a handful of isolated actions. Apple is seeking an injunction that would require OpenAI to stop using any Apple information in the development of its AI hardware device. It is also pursuing damages and suing Tan and Liu for breach of contract tied to their employment agreements.

Recommended reading

EU court puts Google’s YouTube defense at risk

OpenAI has denied the claims. In a statement to Bloomberg this week, the company said it is “not aware of any evidence that this complaint has merit.” Apple, meanwhile, argues in the lawsuit that the evidence found so far may be only the “tip of the iceberg.”