Apple vs. OpenAI: MacBook Reveals "Shocking" Evidence

Apple's lawyers are calling new evidence in their trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI "shocking." This comes after they examined a MacBook belonging to former Apple engineer Chang Liu. Apple sued OpenAI in July, claiming former staff took confidential engineering material to help build OpenAI's products. Liu, who left Apple for OpenAI in January, is accused of exploiting a security flaw to download confidential files. Forensics on Liu's MacBook suggest he downloaded a confidential circuit schematic and used it at OpenAI. Apple also claims Liu and an OpenAI colleague knew about his unauthorized access to Apple's cloud storage. There are also allegations Liu discussed destroying evidence. Apple says Liu used an OpenAI tool that shares its name with an internal Apple engineering app. They also allege Liu ran a simulation using the schematic, with messages describing an AI "agent" learning from it. The company is pushing for a fast resolution, arguing that once a trade secret is absorbed into a learning system, it's difficult to recover. This case highlights the challenges companies face in protecting intellectual property when employees move to competitors.