Apple sends legal letters to dozens of OpenAI employees: FT
The move marks the most recent escalation in Apple's ongoing legal dispute with OpenAI.
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- Apple sent preservation letters to about 40 former employees now at OpenAI amid a trade secrets lawsuit.
- Apple alleges former employees Chang Liu and Tang Tan stole confidential information to help OpenAI develop hardware products.
- OpenAI denies seeing evidence supporting Apple’s claims and says workers should be free to choose employers.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Apple is escalating its legal battle with OpenAI. The company has reportedly sent legal preservation letters to dozens of former employees now working at the AI firm, requesting that they preserve documents and communications, according to the Financial Times (FT).
Around 40 former Apple employees now working at OpenAI have received the letters, the FT reports. A preservation letter is a formal legal notice that informs the other party to preserve all evidence related to an ongoing dispute. This can include electronic information, physical documents, and device data.
Last Friday, Apple sued OpenAI, alleging trade secret theft as part of a coordinated campaign to accelerate the development of its computer hardware.
Apple claims that more than 400 former Apple employees now work at OpenAI, saying “it is not surprising that certain OpenAI personnel have knowledge of Apple’s confidential and proprietary information, which they are obligated to keep confidential.”
The lawsuit specifically names former Apple employees Chang Liu and Tang Tan, accusing them of stealing and sharing confidential information to help OpenAI develop its hardware products.
Tan is also accused of recruiting Apple staff for OpenAI, encouraging them to study confidential materials before interviews and bring prototypes and design materials to “show and tell” sessions.
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OpenAI publicly denied the allegations for the first time on Tuesday, saying that it’s “not aware of any evidence” of the alleged trade secret theft.
“While we take these allegations seriously, we’re not aware of any evidence that this complaint has merit,” OpenAI said in a statement shared by Bloomberg. “We believe in fair competition and allowing people the freedom to work wherever they choose, and we’re focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere.”
Apple is seeking unspecified damages, injunctions, and an order to prohibit OpenAI from using its trade secrets. According to the lawsuit, Apple believes the evidence uncovered so far is only the "tip of the iceberg."
