Apple says more ex-employees may have taken confidential data to OpenAI
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- Apple is seeking a preliminary injunction in its trade secrets case against OpenAI to stop development of an AI device or other products based on Apple's technology.
- Apple's filing identifies 11 additional former employees beyond Chang Liu and Tang Yew Tan who may have been witnesses or otherwise involved in the case, while previously named figures like OpenAI employee Yu-Ting Peng remain part of the suit.
- The filing cites specific allegations, including a former Apple employee who met with Chang Liu and Yu-Ting Peng before Peng's OpenAI interview and discussed proprietary information about unannounced Apple products, and another who took screenshots of confidential Apple documents before an OpenAI interview.
- After Apple filed its complaint, multiple former Apple employees now working at OpenAI reached out about returning Apple-issued work devices they had kept when they left.
- OpenAI publicly responded that the injunction request is "based on false information and completely unnecessary," denied having or wanting Apple's trade secrets, and counter-alleged that Apple emailed the wrong person (confusing two similar surnames), lied about discussions with its general counsel, and had poor security that enabled residual system access.
Why it matters: Apple's preliminary injunction bid would explicitly bar OpenAI from developing an AI device or products based on Apple's technology — squarely targeting the Jony Ive-co-founded io hardware project. By flagging 11 additional former employees, Apple is broadening the case well beyond the two named engineers, while OpenAI's combative counterclaims about Apple's security lapses point toward extended litigation over AI hardware talent.
