OpenAI says Apple 'is getting this wrong' after trade secret lawsuit

OpenAI has responded to Apple's trade secret lawsuit against the company with a lengthy defense, calling Apple's allegations "careless, aggressive and oddly personal." The ChatGPT-maker has published chat logs and emails to refute Apple's claims, stating that Apple is getting the situation wrong. OpenAI alleges that Apple's employees reached out to its former employee Chang Liu to help him locate confidential information after he had already left the company.

OpenAI acknowledges that Apple's employees sought Liu's assistance but argues that Apple then falsely accused Liu of accessing and downloading confidential hardware-related files, including information about unreleased products and proprietary project data. The lawsuit also accuses former Apple employee Tang Yew Tan of directing job candidates to bring confidential Apple information to interviews, a claim OpenAI disputes.

OpenAI maintains that Tan has always been clear with his team that confidential information from other firms must not be used. Additionally, OpenAI refutes Apple's claim that it attempted to contact the company in February about its concerns but did not receive a response, stating that Apple emailed the wrong person due to confusion over two different Asian last names.