Apple sues OpenAI, alleges chief hardware officer directed candidates to bring Apple parts to interviews

Published Jul 16, 08:30 PM UTC

Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, accusing the AI lab of stealing trade secrets related to unreleased products. The 41-page filing alleges that OpenAI's chief hardware officer, Tang Tan, a former Apple executive, directed job candidates still working at Apple to bring actual Apple parts to interviews for 'show and tell' sessions. Apple also accuses former employee Chang Liu of using a colleague's laptop to download confidential files. Apple says it wrote to OpenAI in February raising concerns but received no response. OpenAI has denied the allegations, stating it has no interest in other companies' trade secrets. The lawsuit comes amid rising tensions between the former partners, after Apple partnered with Google in January and as OpenAI reportedly prepares to release its first physical hardware device.