The trade secrets battle between OpenAI and Apple just took another turn.
In a new federal court filing, OpenAI accused a former employee of transferring more than 100 confidential files related to an unreleased device to their personal accounts, according to Reuters. The employee later allegedly presented information about the product to senior Apple executives.
The allegations stem from OpenAI’s ongoing investigation into a lawsuit Apple filed against the company in July. In that case, Apple accused OpenAI and two former Apple employees of stealing trade secrets related to its manufacturing processes and products still in development. OpenAI has denied those allegations.
Now, the AI company is making similar accusations against one of its own former employees.
According to the new filing, the employee previously worked at Apple before joining OpenAI, where he stayed for just six months before returning to the iPhone maker.
OpenAI alleges that the files included detailed images of at least one unreleased device, along with engineering data, manufacturing details, and supplier information. Some of the files were allegedly transferred on June 2, the employee’s final day at OpenAI.
The company also claims the former employee made a presentation about its product plans to senior Apple executives, including Apple’s vice president of operations in Asia.
“OpenAI is very concerned that its trade secret and confidential information is now circulating inside Apple, where Apple engineers can shape Apple’s upcoming products based on OpenAI’s confidential and innovative work,” the filing says.
OpenAI pointed out that after the presentation, which allegedly took place months ago, Apple is now “making a new push into AI-enabled products.”
Apple told Reuters that it has procedures in place to prevent new employees from using confidential information belonging to previous employers. The company also said it found no evidence supporting OpenAI’s allegations.
OpenAI said it would ask the court, at a hearing scheduled on Wednesday, for an opportunity to investigate the allegations further and potentially pursue counterclaims against Apple.
The latest accusations come as a federal judge overseeing the original lawsuit granted Apple expedited access to OpenAI records.
According to TechCrunch, U.S. District Judge Edward Davila ruled Tuesday that Apple could obtain documents related to OpenAI’s interviews with former Apple employees who applied for jobs in its consumer hardware and robotics divisions.
The judge also approved expedited depositions of three former Apple employees, including OpenAI’s chief hardware officer, Tang Tan, who is also named as a defendant in Apple’s lawsuit.
This legal dispute marks a major shift in the relationship between the companies, which began to sour as OpenAI started to make moves into consumer hardware.
OpenAI acquired io, the hardware startup founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive, for $6.5 billion last year. Apple’s lawsuit also names io as a defendant.
Apple and OpenAI previously struck a partnership in 2024 to integrate ChatGPT into Apple devices. However, earlier this year Apple announced it was revamping Siri with Google’s Gemini models and severed ties with the Sam Altman-led startup.
Apple and OpenAI did not immediately respond to Gizmodo’s requests for comment.
