Overview
- Apple filed a motion for a preliminary injunction and asked for expedited discovery on Monday to bar OpenAI and two former Apple engineers from accessing, using, acquiring, or disclosing alleged confidential hardware and supplier information.
- OpenAI publicly rebutted the filing in a blog post titled “Apple is getting this wrong,” publishing internal emails and iMessages it says undermine Apple’s timeline and stating it does not have or want Apple trade secrets.
- Apple’s complaint alleges specific conduct by former employees Chang Liu and Tang Yew Tan including retention of a company laptop, use of an authentication vulnerability to reach Apple cloud storage, and transfer of supplier or component details that Apple says benefited OpenAI’s hardware effort.
- The parties disagree over scope of inspections and discovery: OpenAI agreed to stop future access and preserve evidence but refused Apple’s request to allow its lawyers and third‑party forensic experts to image OpenAI devices and networks.
- The dispute highlights large personnel movement—Apple says more than 400 former employees now work at OpenAI—and could affect hiring practices, supplier ties, product timetables, and investor sentiment as the case moves into depositions and further court review.