Apple sues OpenAI for trade secret violation

Apple has filed a lawsuit against AI firm OpenAI and several of its former employees, accusing them of violating trade secrets. The tech giant claims that these ex-employees improperly shared confidential Apple information with OpenAI after being recruited by the startup.

The legal document, filed in a federal court in San Jose, California, details OpenAI's alleged strategy to extract proprietary information from Apple. The lawsuit specifically names Tang Yew Tan, a former executive at Apple, accusing him of exploiting confidential knowledge gained during his tenure to benefit OpenAI as its Chief Hardware Officer.

Apple further alleges that OpenAI approached several of its suppliers with highly specific questions about its components and manufacturing methods. According to Apple, these inquiries could only have been made by someone with intimate internal knowledge of their technologies. Additionally, engineer Chang Liu is accused of taking dozens of confidential hardware-related files before joining OpenAI.

The lawsuit seeks damages from OpenAI, Chang Liu, and Tang Yew Tan for trade secret misappropriation. This legal battle highlights the intense competition and scrutiny surrounding the development of artificial intelligence and the protection of intellectual property in the tech industry.