Apple sues OpenAI over alleged trade secret theft

Apple filed a 41‑page complaint in the U.S. Northern District of California accusing OpenAI of stealing its hardware trade secrets. The lawsuit alleges that former Apple executives Tang Yew Tan, who spent 24 years at Apple and now leads OpenAI’s hardware division, and former engineer Chang Liu, who left Apple in early 2026, recruited current Apple staff to bring confidential components, CAD files and prototype parts to OpenAI interviews. Apple says Liu used a security‑access vulnerability to remain in Apple’s internal storage after his departure and downloaded dozens of confidential documents, including a 1,000‑page technical file on iPhone motherboard manufacturing.

Apple seeks monetary damages, an injunction to prevent OpenAI from using the alleged secrets, and a court order to destroy or return any Apple material in OpenAI’s possession. The complaint also mentions Yu‑Ting "Alyssa" Peng, a former Apple employee who allegedly helped facilitate the transfers. Apple’s filing states, “OpenAI’s nascent hardware business now rests on the shakiest of foundations, rotten to its core by its illegal reliance on misappropriated trade secrets.”

The dispute follows a 2024 partnership that integrated ChatGPT into Siri, while Apple has recently added Google’s Gemini to its devices. OpenAI, which purchased Jony Ive’s hardware startup io Products for $6.4 billion, responded that it has “no interest” in other companies’ secrets and is reviewing the suit. More than 400 former Apple employees now work at OpenAI, raising concerns about talent‑drain and competitive hardware development.