Technology giant Apple has initiated legal proceedings against OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company, in a court located in Northern California. The lawsuit alleges theft of trade secrets, as reported by CNBC, citing court documents.
Apple claims that the AI lab has misappropriated the company’s intellectual property to develop its consumer hardware. According to the lawsuit cited by CNBC, the company states, “It is clear that at every level — from technical staff to the hardware director and in collaboration with business partners, OpenAI has stolen trade secrets and confidential information from Apple.”
Apple Seeks Damages from OpenAI
According to the lawsuit, the issue began with OpenAI’s hardware director, Tang Tan, who previously served as a vice president at Apple. He allegedly encouraged Apple employees applying for jobs at OpenAI to disclose company secrets during the recruitment process. Apple accuses OpenAI of instructing departing Apple employees on how to bypass security protocols when leaving the company.
As reported by CNBC, Apple is seeking damages as well as specific court orders, including an injunction to compel OpenAI to stop using its trade secrets.
In 2024, both companies had entered into a collaboration agreement, which integrated ChatGPT into the iPhone operating system, but their relationship has soured, particularly after OpenAI announced plans to enter the computer hardware market and acquired the startup IO Products last year.
