Apple has sued OpenAI, accusing the AI startup of stealing trade secrets and confidential information through current and former Apple employees to advance its own efforts to enter the consumer hardware market.
The lawsuit primarily revolves around the alleged actions of three people:
Tang Tan, OpenAI’s Chief Hardware Officer: Tan previously served as vice president of Apple Watch. In 2024, he left the company to join Jony Ive’s hardware company, io Products, which OpenAI acquired last year.
Chang Liu, Member of Technical Staff at OpenAI: Liu worked as a systems electrical engineer on the iPhone for over eight years. Liu exited Apple in January 2026 to join OpenAI.
Yu-Ting “Alyssa” Peng: A former Apple employee who joined OpenAI in April 2026.
They are accused of taking Apple’s trade secrets and confidential information, including unreleased product designs and components they were working on, to OpenAI, which is building its own AI hardware, expected to be launched next year.
“Apple has uncovered a pattern of theft of Apple’s trade secrets by OpenAI employees who were formerly at Apple,” the complaint reads.
Here are the key allegations in Apple’s 41-page lawsuit against OpenAI.
1. OpenAI’s hardware chief allegedly digs for confidential Apple projects during interviews: When a former Apple employee interviewed for a job at OpenAI, Tan asked him about a “top-secret project for an unreleased new Apple product”. The lawsuit alleges Tan has been using Apple’s internal information to solicit its trade secrets from job candidates.
In another instance, Apple claims a former employee “began screenshotting and downloading files related to a highly confidential Apple project” before a job interview with OpenAI. Tan allegedly asked for more information about that same project during the interview. Last year, Tan allegedly admitted to receiving confidential information about AI hardware startup Iyo.
2. Former Apple employees are allegedly asked to bring hardware components and product samples for OpenAI job interviews: Aside from digging information about Apple’s secret projects, Tan asked OpenAI job candidates to bring physical hardware components, “actual parts,” and product samples from their Apple work to their interviews for “show and tell” sessions that would disclose Apple’s proprietary technologies.
For example, messages left on an Apple-issued work device show that Mr. Tan instructed an Apple employee to “bring some parts [she] worked on” such as “Batteries,” “SIP” (Systems-in-Package), “mlb” (multi-layer or main logic boards), and “shields” and that it may “be good to show” other interviewers these Apple components.
Additionally, OpenAI is accused of asking interviewees to prepare “Technical Deep Dive” presentations, with slides revealing confidential information from their work at Apple.
3. OpenAI allegedly “coached”…
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