OpenAI employee who left for Apple took files about unreleased device, OpenAI alleges

An OpenAI employee who recently transferred to Apple took more than 100 files with information about an unreleased product to a personal account, according to a lawsuit filed by OpenAI against its former employer. The employee also delivered a presentation about the unreleased product to high-ranking Apple executives, the filing claims.

This occurred months ago, and Apple is now developing AI products based on OpenAI's confidential information, OpenAI alleges in its court papers. The company is deeply worried that its trade secrets and confidential data are now circulating within Apple, where engineers can develop future products using OpenAI's proprietary work, OpenAI stated.

Apple, on the other hand, maintains robust policies and procedures to prevent former employees from using confidential data from other companies, and claims it has found no evidence to support OpenAI's allegations. This lawsuit, filed by Apple earlier this year, alleges that several iPhone employees took confidential information to OpenAI's hardware division and have since left for Apple.

OpenAI has refuted these claims. US District Court Judge Edward Davila recently granted Apple partial access to digital files from OpenAI in the case, allowing the company to gather data from several former employees' devices and schedule depositions for three defendants, including Chang Liu and Tang Yew Tan. The trial is expected to commence in October 2027, though OpenAI has stated it could be ready for trial as early as June 2027.