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Apple Sues OpenAI, Ex-Staff Over Trade Secret Theft

July 10, 2026 at 19:56 EDT

Policy & Regulation
Security

On July 10, 2026, Apple sued OpenAI and two former Apple employees who moved to the company, alleging misappropriation of trade secrets, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Apple claims the former staff improperly downloaded hardware-related files and technical specifications on unreleased products after joining OpenAI and used them in OpenAI's hardware development. (TechCrunch)

July 10, 2026 · Northern District of California

Apple Sues OpenAI Over Alleged Trade-Secret Theft

Apple accuses OpenAI and two former Apple engineers of misappropriating confidential hardware files and technical specs for unreleased products — as OpenAI pushes into consumer devices that rival the iPhone.

400+

Ex-Apple employees said to have joined OpenAI

$6.5B

Paid to acquire io Products in 2025 for hardware talent

Dozens

Confidential hardware files allegedly downloaded

Tenure at Apple — the two named defendants

8 yrs

Chang Liu

Senior systems electrical engineer → OpenAI

24 yrs

Tang Tan

VP Product Design → OpenAI Chief Hardware Officer

What Apple alleges

An engineer kept a company laptop and exploited a former colleague's credentials plus an unknown authentication bug to reach shared internal folders.
Internal project code names were used in job interviews to probe candidates about unannounced products.
Candidates were asked to bring in "actual parts" — batteries, logic boards, SIPs.
A document circulated describing ways to circumvent security procedures on departure.
Apple says it raised concerns with OpenAI in February 2026 and received no response.

Apple seeks

A bar on using or disclosing trade secrets, return of materials, evidence preservation, and damages — framing OpenAI's hardware push as dependent on improperly obtained files.

Industry view

Some read it as a symbol of intensifying AI-hardware rivalry; others note Apple's own security gaps — a departed employee could retain a device and exploit a bug. No OpenAI response confirmed.

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