Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in July 2026, alleging that former Apple employees who now work at the AI company stole confidential hardware secrets “for the benefit of OpenAI.” The complaint names IO Products — the hardware startup founded by Jony Ive that OpenAI acquired in 2025 — along with Tang Tan, OpenAI’s chief hardware officer, and Chang Liu, who joined OpenAI from Apple in January 2026, as defendants.
According to Apple’s complaint, the company uncovered “a pattern of theft of Apple’s trade secrets by OpenAI employees who were formerly at Apple.” Liu is accused of accessing Apple’s internal systems after his departure and downloading “dozens of Apple’s confidential hardware-related files,” including details on unreleased products, engineering presentations, technical specifications, and proprietary project data. He is also alleged to have coached a former Apple colleague on how to copy confidential files and “avoid trouble with the security team.”
Tan is accused of “methodically using Apple’s confidential information to benefit OpenAI,” including emailing himself information about Apple suppliers before leaving the company and requesting confidential Apple data when interviewing Apple employees for roles at OpenAI. Apple also alleges that OpenAI instructed candidates to bring materials such as “CAD/design artifacts” and “prototypes” to job interviews.
In a statement shared with 9to5Mac, an Apple spokesperson said the company had uncovered “significant evidence” suggesting individuals at OpenAI “wrongfully took Apple’s secret and confidential information regarding our unreleased technologies, processes, and products,” adding that Apple would “take all appropriate steps” to defend its teams’ work.
Neither Apple nor OpenAI immediately responded to The Verge’s requests for comment. The case could have significant implications for how AI companies recruit talent from established hardware and technology firms.
Source: The Verge