Apple Claims More Ex-Employees Took Secrets to OpenAI

Apple is escalating its trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI, filing for a preliminary injunction and revealing that 11 additional former employees may have been involved in the alleged theft of confidential hardware data — a significant expansion of a case that already names two senior hires.

In a new court filing, Apple is requesting expedited discovery from accused employees Chang Liu and Tang Yew Tan, as well as OpenAI, its foundation, and io — the device startup co-founded by Apple's former lead designer Jony Ive. The iPhone maker claims its continuing investigation has uncovered evidence that the misconduct extends well beyond the two individuals named in the original July complaint.

"For example, another former Apple employee seems to have met with Mr. Liu and Ms. Peng in advance of Ms. Peng's interview at OpenAI and discussed with them during that meeting Apple proprietary information relating to unannounced products," the filing states. "Yet another former Apple employee took screenshots of confidential Apple documents relating to an unannounced Apple product before an interview at OpenAI."

The filing also claims that after Apple lodged its initial complaint, multiple ex-employees now at OpenAI reached out to discuss returning Apple-issued work devices they had kept after leaving the company — suggesting a pattern of retained access to sensitive hardware.

OpenAI Fires Back

OpenAI published a blog post titled "Apple is getting this wrong," calling the injunction request "both based on false information and completely unnecessary because we do not have, nor want, any of their trade secrets." The AI company argues that the "residual access" allowing former employees to reach Apple's internal systems was caused by Apple failing to properly manage system access when people leave.

"We're much more interested in building innovative products and technologies that push the frontier," OpenAI's statement reads according to TechCrunch.

OpenAI also pointed to procedural missteps by Apple's legal team, including an email sent to the wrong person after confusing two similar Asian surnames — an error Apple has since acknowledged.

Why It Matters

The escalation comes at a pivotal moment for both companies. OpenAI is targeting a public listing as early as September 2026 at a valuation analysts expect could exceed $1 trillion, while Apple is racing to develop its own AI hardware capabilities. A preliminary injunction could delay or derail OpenAI's hardware ambitions — and the growing list of implicated former Apple employees suggests the discovery process could become sprawling and expensive.

The case also raises uncomfortable questions about how tech companies manage ex-employee access to internal systems. If Apple's own security practices left a door open for departing staff, as OpenAI alleges, the responsibility may not fall entirely on the hires.