Jakarta, ThedailyID — Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the artificial intelligence company of stealing confidential iPhone trade secrets while developing its own hardware products.
The lawsuit, filed on Friday, July 10, in federal court in San Jose, California, claims OpenAI aggressively recruited Apple employees and extracted confidential information to support its hardware ambitions.
Apple also named several former employees in the complaint, including OpenAI’s Chief Hardware Officer Tang Yew Tan and engineer Chang Liu.
In the 41-page filing, Apple alleged that OpenAI misappropriated trade secrets and confidential information at multiple levels of its organization.
“At every level, from technical staff to the chief hardware officer, and in coordination with business partners, OpenAI has stolen Apple’s trade secrets and confidential information,” the company said in the complaint.
OpenAI rejected the allegations and said it has no interest in using competitors’ proprietary information.
“We are not interested in other companies’ trade secrets. We remain focused on developing innovative technology that empowers people everywhere,” an OpenAI spokesperson said.
The legal battle marks a sharp escalation in tensions between the two companies, which partnered in 2024 to integrate ChatGPT into Apple’s ecosystem.
Their relationship later deteriorated. Bloomberg reported in May that OpenAI had considered legal action against Apple, accusing the company of failing to adequately promote ChatGPT integration across its products.
The lawsuit could complicate OpenAI’s highly anticipated initial public offering (IPO).
The AI company, valued at around US$852 billion, has raised more than US$180 billion from investors. It has also expanded into consumer hardware, which many analysts view as its next major growth opportunity.
