Apple sues OpenAI over former staff's residual iCloud access to confidential data

Apple has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Northern District of California accusing OpenAI and more than 400 former Apple employees of stealing trade secrets. The complaint alleges that ex‑employees retained access to internal documents after leaving Apple because the company allowed personal Apple IDs to be linked to a 2 TB iCloud plan. Some former staff continued to receive notifications when files were updated, exposing product launch plans and manufacturing details.

Apple sent legal preservation letters to about 40 ex‑employees now working at OpenAI and claims that OpenAI encouraged them to provide confidential information. In response, OpenAI published chat logs showing Apple engineers repeatedly asking former engineer Chang Liu for technical assessments and internal files after his departure, which OpenAI says demonstrates a known “residual access” problem at Apple. Apple maintains the allegations reflect systematic theft, while OpenAI calls the company’s legal tactics aggressive and unnecessary.