Apple tells judge OpenAI has only ‘a few bad apples’, not 400, and knows who they are
Apple's lawyer told a federal court in San Jose that the iPhone maker wants to inspect devices of a few former employees who joined OpenAI, not all 400. Judge Edward Davila said he was highly likely to side with Apple in the trade secrets case, and OpenAI agreed not to use allegedly stolen information. OpenAI also accuses a returning Apple engineer of taking its files.
In a federal court hearing held in San Jose, California, Apple's lawyer argued that OpenAI is only dealing with "a few bad apples," not an alarming 400, in its trade secrets lawsuit. US District Judge Edward Davila hinted at a high likelihood of siding with Apple and granting an injunction against OpenAI before ruling, OpenAI agreed to not utilize any information Apple claims was taken by its former staff, as long as the case continues.
OpenAI must also collect forensic images of 14 ex-employees' devices. Apple's counsel emphasized that the company would only inspect a small group of employees who left for OpenAI, as there are "a few bad apples" known by OpenAI. Although the agreement avoids an outright loss for OpenAI, Apple secures the protection of its proprietary information.
The day prior, Davila ordered OpenAI to expedite evidence collection, including device images and LINE messages between former Apple engineers Chang Liu and Alyssa Peng. OpenAI accused Liu, Peng, and hardware chief Tang Yew Tan of sending confidential files and product plans to personal accounts, which Apple denies having evidence for.
The trial is set for October 2027, with OpenAI preparing to launch its first device, a doughnut-shaped smart speaker priced above $300.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
