Apple Takes Legal Action Against OpenAI Over Alleged Theft of Hardware Technology Secrets

Apple has initiated litigation against OpenAI, asserting that workers who previously held positions at the Cupertino-based company have improperly transferred proprietary technical information to the artificial intelligence firm. According to the court filing, the dispute centers on what Apple characterizes as deliberate intellectual property misappropriation involving multiple individuals.

Named Defendants and Accusations#

The lawsuit identifies three main defendants: Tang Tan, who serves as OpenAI's chief hardware officer; Chang Liu, an engineer who transitioned to OpenAI from Apple in January; and IO Products, the hardware venture backed by design luminary Jony Ive that OpenAI acquired in 2025.

Specific Allegations Against Individual Defendants#

Liu stands accused of accessing Apple's networks after his departure and extracting sensitive materials—described as comprising "dozens of Apple's confidential hardware-related files" encompassing information on unreleased devices, engineering materials, technical blueprints, and project-specific records. Beyond his own actions, he purportedly mentored another former Apple colleague on techniques for retrieving confidential company data while evading detection by internal security measures.

Tan faces charges of leveraging Apple's proprietary information to advance OpenAI's agenda. Court documents outline how he allegedly forwarded himself vendor details before his resignation and solicited restricted Apple data from current employees during their recruitment interviews for OpenAI positions. Additionally, OpenAI is said to have explicitly requested that interviewing candidates bring items such as "CAD/design artifacts" and "prototypes" to meetings.

Apple's Position#

In a statement conveyed to 9to5Mac, an Apple representative emphasized the company's stance: "At Apple, our teams are constantly developing breakthrough technologies to create the best products and services in the world, and protecting their work and intellectual property is something we take very seriously." The company asserted that it has gathered evidence demonstrating that OpenAI personnel "wrongfully took Apple's secret and confidential information regarding our unreleased technologies, processes, and products," pledging to "defend our teams' hard work and innovations" through appropriate legal channels.