Apple sues OpenAI over alleged trade secret theft
Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging trade secret theft and breach of contract by former employees now working at the AI firm. The suit claims that senior leadership at OpenAI, including Tang Tan, orchestrated the theft of confidential hardware specifications.
Why it matters
This legal battle highlights the intensifying competition between tech giants and AI startups over hardware development and intellectual property.
Apple filed a lawsuit Friday against OpenAI over allegations of trade secret theft and breach of contract.
The iPhone maker alleges that this misconduct, which it says reveals a pattern of theft from OpenAI employees who previously worked at Apple, was directed by OpenAI’s senior leadership, including Chief Hardware Officer Tang Tan .
The lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, accuses Tan of using Apple’s confidential project code names during OpenAI’s recruiting process, asking job candidates to bring in Apple hardware components to their interviews, coaching departing Apple employees on how to evade the company’s security procedures, and asking for details about the company’s unannounced products.
Before joining OpenAI, Tan had spent 24 years at Apple, most recently as VP of product design for the iPhone and Apple Watch.
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