APPLE SUES OPENAI ALLEGING THEFT OF TRADE SECRETS

Apple filed a federal lawsuit against OpenAI on Friday, alleging the artificial intelligence company obtained confidential information through the hiring of former Apple employees. The lawsuit names OpenAI, two of its employees, and io Products as defendants. Apple claims OpenAI engaged in "a pattern of theft" of confidential product development information, with at least two former Apple workers allegedly emailing themselves internal company data after joining OpenAI.

The two individuals named in the suit are Chang Liu, a senior electrical engineer who worked at Apple for eight years, and Tang Yew Tan, a vice president of design for iPhone and Apple Watch who spent 24 years at the company. Apple is also suing io Products, a design startup founded by Jony Ive, a long-time Apple executive, which OpenAI acquired last year. According to Apple, OpenAI pursued "a strategy to extract Apple's confidential information" as part of an effort to develop its own hardware device.

Drew Pusateri, an OpenAI spokesman, told the BBC the company denies the allegations and stated it has "no interest in other companies' trade secrets." OpenAI said it is currently reviewing Apple's complaint and remains "focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere." An Apple spokesman said the lawsuit stems from "significant evidence." This action marks a significant deterioration in relations between the companies, particularly given that Tim Cook, Apple's outgoing CEO, had previously integrated OpenAI's ChatGPT into Apple devices.