Apple Sues OpenAI Over Alleged Theft of Trade Secrets in Hardware Development

Apple has filed a major lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the AI giant of stealing trade secrets to advance its hardware business. The lawsuit, submitted to a federal court in California, claims OpenAI pressured former Apple employees to bring physical components of Apple devices to job interviews and secretly downloaded proprietary Apple files. Apple alleges that OpenAI’s new hardware ventures are built on illegally obtained confidential information.

According to the complaint, OpenAI recruited over 400 former Apple employees, with some reportedly coached to bypass Apple’s security protocols when leaving the company. Apple also accuses OpenAI of misleading a partner company into sharing unique Apple methods by falsely claiming authorization from Apple.

OpenAI has denied all allegations, stating it has no interest in other companies’ trade secrets and remains focused on developing innovative technologies. Apple is seeking a court injunction to prevent OpenAI from using or sharing its trade secrets and demands the return of its intellectual property.

The legal battle marks a sharp escalation in tensions between the two tech giants, which began over disagreements about integrating OpenAI technology into Apple devices and intensified as OpenAI expanded into hardware products. Apple’s lawsuit highlights the growing rivalry in the technology sector as AI companies move into new hardware markets.