Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and the company’s hardware chief, accusing the ChatGPT maker of orchestrating a campaign to steal the iPhone-maker’s trade secrets.
The complaint, filed on Friday in a California court, alleges that OpenAI encouraged former Apple employees to bring confidential presentations, unreleased component prototypes, and detailed supplier information when they joined the AI company. The suit specifically names OpenAI’s recently hired hardware chief as a central figure in the alleged scheme.
At the heart of the case is a claim that OpenAI built its hardware strategy on information that Apple considers proprietary, including details about stealth projects that had not been publicly disclosed. Apple argues that the poaching was not opportunistic but coordinated, with OpenAI management allegedly directing recruits to transfer sensitive materials.
The lawsuit underscores the intensifying rivalry between the two tech giants as OpenAI expands beyond software into hardware development. The company has been building out its own chip design and device engineering teams, increasingly positioning itself as a direct competitor to Apple’s hardware ecosystem.
Apple is seeking unspecified damages and an injunction preventing OpenAI from using the allegedly stolen information. OpenAI has not yet filed a response to the complaint.