Apple Sues OpenAI Over Alleged Hardware Secrets Theft, Spy Tactics During Job Interviews

Key points

• Apple filed a 41-page lawsuit accusing OpenAI of systematically stealing trade secrets, including confidential hardware designs and a proprietary metal-finishing technique.
• Three former Apple employees are named: Tang Tan (now OpenAI's chief hardware officer), Chang Liu (joined OpenAI in January 2026), and Yu-Ting "Alyssa" Peng (joined OpenAI in April 2026).
• Liu allegedly kept an Apple-owned computer after leaving and exploited a security gap to download dozens of confidential files from Apple's cloud storage.
• OpenAI allegedly maintained an internal document outlining Apple's offboarding procedures and used it to coach incoming hires on how to avoid Apple's exit security reviews.
• OpenAI denied the claims, saying it has "no interest in other companies' trade secrets."

Apple has filed a lawsuit accusing OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, of running a coordinated campaign to steal its most sensitive hardware secrets. The suit, first reported by The Verge AI, targets three former Apple employees and alleges a scheme that stretches from job interviews to Apple's own manufacturing partners.

At the centre of the case is Tang Tan, a 24-year Apple veteran and former vice president of the Apple Watch. Tan left Apple in 2024 to join io, a hardware company led by designer Jony Ive. OpenAI acquired io last year and made Tan its chief hardware officer.

Apple claims Tan asked job candidates to bring physical Apple components to interviews, things like batteries, systems-in-package (small modules that pack multiple chips into one unit), and main logic boards (the central circuit boards that run a device). According to Apple, messages on a company-issued device show Tan telling one candidate it "may be good to show" these parts to other interviewers during what he called "show and tell sessions."

OpenAI also allegedly asked candidates to prepare detailed technical presentations using confidential information from their Apple work.

Did OpenAI help employees sneak past Apple's security?

Yes, according to the lawsuit. Apple claims OpenAI kept an internal document describing Apple's employee exit procedures, including what happens during offboarding security checks. OpenAI allegedly used that document to warn incoming hires and coach them on how to avoid triggering a "dreaded walk out," the immediate escorting of an employee from the building, which cuts off their computer access.

Apple says workers were advised not to disclose their new employer, not to sign anything at exit interviews, and to alert OpenAI immediately if asked to sign any document.

Chang Liu, a systems electrical engineer who worked on iPhone hardware for over eight years, allegedly went further. Apple claims Liu kept a company-owned computer after leaving, then discovered a security gap that let him access Apple's cloud storage even as a former employee. "LOL, I found out I can access the [network storage], so funny," Liu allegedly wrote to Peng. Her reply, Apple claims, was: "I'm ready."

Liu then allegedly downloaded dozens of confidential files, including engineering presentations and documents about unreleased products. Peng, still at Apple, allegedly fed Liu a steady stream of project details and vendor information while he was building OpenAI's competing hardware.

Apple also accuses OpenAI of approaching at least two of its manufacturing partners. One partner performs a proprietary, multi-step metal-finishing technique for Apple products. OpenAI allegedly misled that partner into thinking Apple had given permission to use the technique. Apple says it gave no such permission.

For ordinary readers, the practical takeaway is narrow but notable. If you work in tech and plan to switch employers, your exit process almost certainly involves legal obligations around company data and devices. Ignoring those steps carries real legal risk, whatever your next employer tells you.

OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri said in a statement: "We have no interest in other companies' trade secrets. We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere." OpenAI has not filed a formal response in court.