Apple files lawsuit accusing ChatGPT maker OpenAI of stealing trade secrets
Apple files lawsuit accusing ChatGPT maker OpenAI of stealing trade secrets The complaint alleges a coordinated effort by two former Apple employees and...
Key points
- Apple files lawsuit accusing ChatGPT maker OpenAI of stealing trade secrets The complaint alleges a coordinated effort by two former Apple employees and OpenAI to steal confidential information.
- The iPhone maker also claimed that OpenAI’s hardware chief Tan had been “methodically using Apple’s confidential information to benefit OpenAI” by emailing himself information about Apple suppliers and internal industry summaries before his departure.
- Apple alleged that Tan encouraged Apple employees to bring parts from Apple to job interviews at OpenAI for “show and tell” sessions, citing an incident in its filing where one OpenAI job candidate allegedly said that he “didn’t even know we could take those from the office”.
- More than 400 former Apple employees now work for OpenAI, Apple said in the filing, adding that “it is not surprising” that some of them have knowledge of its confidential information.
What happened
Apple files lawsuit accusing ChatGPT maker OpenAI of stealing trade secrets The complaint alleges a coordinated effort by two former Apple employees and OpenAI to steal confidential information. The iPhone maker also claimed that OpenAI’s hardware chief Tan had been “methodically using Apple’s confidential information to benefit OpenAI” by emailing himself information about Apple suppliers and internal industry summaries before his departure. Apple alleged that Tan encouraged Apple employees to bring parts from Apple to job interviews at OpenAI for “show and tell” sessions, citing an incident in its filing where one OpenAI job candidate allegedly said that he “didn’t even know we could take those from the office”. More than 400 former Apple employees now work for OpenAI, Apple said in the filing, adding that “it is not surprising” that some of them have knowledge of its confidential information. Apple also alleged that OpenAI employees sought confidential information from the company’s suppliers. In 2024, Apple announced the integration of its Apple Intelligence technology across its apps, including Siri, and brought OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT to its devices.