Apple Sues OpenAI Over Alleged Trade Secret Theft in Hardware Development Clash

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

According to the lawsuit, 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 technology under false pretenses. The suit seeks a court injunction to prevent OpenAI from using or sharing Apple’s trade secrets and demands the return of Apple’s intellectual property.

OpenAI has denied all allegations, stating it has no interest in other companies’ trade secrets and remains focused on developing innovative technologies that empower people worldwide. The legal battle marks a significant escalation in tensions between the two tech giants, which began over disagreements about integrating OpenAI’s technology into Apple devices and intensified as OpenAI expanded into hardware development.

The lawsuit highlights the growing rivalry between Apple and OpenAI, two of the world’s leading technology companies, as they compete in the emerging AI hardware market.