The lawsuit centers on a group of high-profile transfers, including former Apple executive Tang Tan and engineer Chang Liu, who joined OpenAI earlier this year. Apple’s complaint highlights the 2025 acquisition of Jony Ive’s startup, IO Products, as a primary vector for the alleged misappropriation. According to the filing, Liu continued to access Apple’s secure systems after his departure, downloading extensive documentation on proprietary hardware projects and unreleased technical designs.
Apple Accuses OpenAI of Systematic Hardware Trade Secret Theft
A pattern of intellectual property theft has triggered a high-stakes legal battle between Apple and OpenAI. The iPhone maker claims former employees, now embedded within OpenAI’s hardware division, systematically siphoned confidential engineering specifications and internal data to accelerate the startup’s development of unreleased products.
Evidence presented by Apple suggests a coordinated effort to bypass internal security protocols. Liu allegedly coached a departing colleague on how to exfiltrate confidential files without triggering internal alarms, explicitly recommending the use of encrypted platforms like Line Messenger to evade detection. Apple maintains that these actions represent a direct threat to its innovation pipeline and has vowed to pursue all legal avenues to secure its intellectual property.
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