Apple Sues OpenAI for Trade-Secret Theft, Naming Hardware Chief and Citing 400+ Poached Employees

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Apple filed a 41-page complaint on July 10 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against OpenAI, its hardware subsidiary io Products, Chief Hardware Officer (and ex-Apple VP) Tang Tan, and former engineer Chang Liu, alleging systematic theft of on-device AI and silicon trade secrets 'at every level.' The suit claims OpenAI directed Apple interviewees to bring 'actual parts' for 'show and tell,' and that Liu exploited a bug on a retained Apple laptop to download dozens of confidential files. Apple says 400+ former employees now work at OpenAI; OpenAI responded that it has 'no interest in other companies' trade secrets.'