OpenAI Accuses Apple of Using Stolen Files to Build Its New AI Hardware
Android Headlines / Apple News / OpenAI Accuses Apple of Using Stolen Files to Build Its New AI Hardware
Summary
OpenAI has filed federal court allegations claiming a former employee stole over 100 confidential hardware files and presented them to Apple executives. The retaliatory filing escalates an ongoing trade secret lawsuit originally filed by Apple, highlighting growing competition over AI talent and unreleased consumer hardware.
OpenAI is firing back at Apple with legal claims of its own in an escalating battle over trade secrets. The ChatGPT maker accuses a former employee of walking off with over a hundred confidential hardware files and handing them straight to Apple executives.
Dueling claims over stolen hardware files
According to court documents reported by Reuters, the worker spent six months at OpenAI before returning to Apple on June 2 with a massive cache of stolen data. OpenAI claims those files contained engineering schematics, supplier lists, and photos of unreleased gadgets, pointing to Apple’s newly revealed HomeView smart hub as potential proof of overlapping work.
Apple denied the allegations and claimed its internal investigation found no trace of OpenAI files on its servers or devices. Company lawyers noted that strict hiring policies prevent new employees from using past employer IP, adding that OpenAI rushed to file in court without checking basic facts.
Fast-tracked evidence and a messy feud
This legal showdown comes right as US District Judge Edward Davila gave Apple the green light to inspect OpenAI files on a fast-tracked schedule. That ruling lets Apple collect digital records and question former employees under oath, including OpenAI’s chief hardware officer Tang Tan, who left Apple last year to help build AI gadgets with Jony Ive.
While Apple digs through those records, OpenAI wants permission to investigate Apple right back. Both companies are now pouring massive resources into smart home hardware and AI gadgets. This sets up a legal clash that could land in a full courtroom trial by mid-2027.
From close allies to bitter rivals
It is a wild shift for two companies that worked together not long ago. Apple famously teamed up with OpenAI in 2024 to bring ChatGPT into iPhones. However, that friendship soured as Apple switched its Siri focus to Google’s Gemini models and both companies started building similar consumer hardware. Plus, Jony Ive’s hardware startup’s $6.5 billion purchase by OpenAI only turned up the heat. Now, instead of building software together, they are fighting over former engineers and trade secrets in federal court.