OpenAI claims 100-plus secret files followed ex-employee back to Apple
ChatGPT maker turns tables in Apple's trade secrets lawsuit, claiming confidential hardware plans made their way back to Cupertino
Apple and OpenAI are embroiled in a trade secrets dispute, with the ChatGPT maker alleging a former employee of theirs transferred over 100 confidential files to Apple. The ex-employee, who had previously worked at Apple before moving to OpenAI and back, allegedly took sensitive documents containing images of unreleased OpenAI hardware, engineering data, supplier information, project files, and specifications.
These files were transferred from OpenAI's Singapore office just after midnight on June 2, which the company claims was the employee's final day. OpenAI further claims the ex-employee presented OpenAI's product plans to Apple's senior leadership, including its Asia-based vice president of operations. This comes at a time when Apple is expanding into AI-powered hardware, including its new smart home products, prompting concerns from OpenAI that its trade secrets and innovative work could be shaping Apple's upcoming products.
Apple denies these claims, stating it has rules to prevent former employees from taking confidential information. The situation highlights the intense competition in the AI hardware space, with both companies battling over who may have taken whose files.
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