Overview
- Apple filed a 41-page federal complaint on July 10 that names OpenAI, io Products and two former Apple engineers, Tang Yew Tan and Chang Liu, and asks the court for injunctions, preservation and return of materials, and damages.
- The suit alleges specific misconduct including a retained Apple-issued laptop, use of an authentication bug to download confidential files, and requests that job candidates bring Apple device parts or divulge supplier and manufacturing details during interviews.
- OpenAI has publicly denied that the complaint has merit and defended employee mobility, saying it is not aware of evidence to support Apple’s claims.
- The case is expected to move into discovery where Apple aims to compel hiring records, internal communications and product documents, a process that could slow OpenAI’s nascent hardware timeline and complicate its recruiting and supplier relationships.
- The dispute tests trade-secret law against California’s strong protections for worker movement, and it raises wider industry stakes because io Products and the involvement of former Apple leaders have drawn attention to competition over future consumer AI devices.