Apple Sues OpenAI: Hardware Secrets Stolen in Interviews

Apple is suing OpenAI, alleging the AI company used job interviews to get Apple's hardware secrets. The lawsuit, filed in federal court, claims OpenAI is trying to accelerate its move into consumer devices. Apple's court papers specifically allege that OpenAI's Chief Hardware Officer, Tang Tan, who was formerly an Apple vice president, steered recruiting conversations to extract confidential details from Apple employees during interviews. Tan is named as a defendant. Apple also claims OpenAI encouraged departing Apple staff to bypass security measures and that one former employee, Chang Liu, took an Apple laptop. The suit further contends that Tan asked candidates to bring physical Apple components to interviews for "show-and-tell" sessions. Apple is seeking damages and court orders to prevent OpenAI from using these alleged secrets. This lawsuit matters because it could impact the future development of AI and hardware, and how companies protect their intellectual property.