Apple vs OpenAI: Judge says he will ‘likely’ side with iPhone maker

An OpenAI employee who recently transferred to Apple allegedly leaked sensitive information about an unreleased product to a personal account, as revealed in a recent filing in the ongoing lawsuit between the two tech giants. The employee, who worked on an unreleased product at OpenAI, presented details about it to senior Apple leadership months ago, according to the allegations. This development came hours before the two companies were set to face off in court, causing a delay in the proceedings.

In the legal document, OpenAI expressed deep concern over the leaked trade secrets and confidential information now residing within Apple. The company warned that its engineers could leverage this information to shape their upcoming products. The lawsuit between OpenAI and Apple has been ongoing, with Apple previously accusing its own employees of stealing confidential information and transferring it to OpenAI's hardware division.

Apple's response to the new allegation was that they have strict policies and procedures in place to prevent former employees from using confidential information from previous employers. The tech giant stated that they have found no evidence to support OpenAI's allegations. This claim emerged as part of an ongoing trade secret dispute that Apple had filed against OpenAI earlier in the year.

A US district court judge, Edward Davila, recently granted Apple's request for early access to digital files from OpenAI in the lawsuit. The judge allowed Apple to collect data from former employees' devices and schedule depositions for three individuals, including Chang Liu and Tang Yew Tan, who work on Apple's iPhone and Apple Watch. The case is now expected to go to trial in October 2027, though OpenAI had previously stated that it might be ready for trial as early as June 2027.