Apple has sued OpenAI, accusing the developer of ChatGPT of running a scheme to steal trade secrets built with its unreleased tools. The complaint also names two former Apple employees as part of the OpenAI device.
This post marks the second major OpenAI fight in a month. A few weeks earlier, the company dropped claims of privacy for Elon Musk’s xAI, only to meet with a senior accuser.
Why Apple Sued OpenAI
Apple filed the lawsuit on July 10 in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. It names OpenAI, its hardware division io Products, and two former Apple employees as opponents.
Apple had no interest in the matter.
“At every level, from members of the Technical Staff to the Chief Hardware Officer, and with business partners, OpenAI has been stealing Apple’s privacy and confidentiality,” Apple said. complaint.
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That hardware boss is Tang Tan. He led the design of the iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods before leaving in early 2024. Apple reportedly had candidates bring parts such as batteries and logic boards to interviews.
The suit also accuses former engineer Chang Liu of keeping a work laptop after he left. He allegedly used a bug to access Apple’s cloud storage and download a large number of files. Apple says more than 400 former employees are now working on OpenAI.
Apple wants an injunction to stop OpenAI from using privacy, and damages to be awarded in a lawsuit. It increases the speed of Big Tech’s legal battles on talent.
OpenAI’s Second Legal Battle
OpenAI barely survived that fight, when a judge dismissed xAI’s trade secrets and discrimination on June 15. Weeks before that, a California court needed less than two hours to reject Musk’s legal counsel suit as it has been saved too late.
The dispute now ends a painful year of conflict competitive AI models. OpenAI tools follows the acquisition of io founder Jony Ive in a $6.5 billion deal last year.
Apple, in contrast, brings deep pockets and decades of secrets to protect. This battle also represents OpenAI The IPO is coming.
The two are still compatible today, with ChatGPT built into Apple devices and the GPT-5 upgrade due this year. OpenAI had not publicly responded to the claims at press time. The upcoming documents should show how much of Apple’s evidence survives scrutiny.
A note OpenAI Backs in Weeks of Legal Battle After Beating Elon Musk appeared for the first time BeInCrypto.
