Apple on Friday sued OpenAI and its hardware chief, accusing the AI giant of stealing trade secrets.
In a legal filing, the iPhone maker alleged that OpenAI’s Tang Tan, who is Apple’s former vice president of product design, gathered information via various methods, including by directing job candidates still working for Apple to do “show and tell” sessions with information about its rival.
“At every level, from members of its technical staff to its chief hardware officer, and in coordination with business partners, OpenAI has been stealing Apple’s trade secrets and confidential information,” Apple said in the lawsuit. “As a natural result, OpenAI’s nascent hardware business now rests on the shakiest of foundations, rotten to its core by its illegal reliance on misappropriated trade secrets.”
OpenAI said in a statement it has “no interest in other companies’ trade secrets,” while Apple said, “We will always defend our teams’ hard work and innovations, and we are taking all appropriate steps to do so.”
OpenAI’s Tan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Apple, which stated in the filing that more than 400 of its former workers are now at OpenAI, is seeking a jury trial and demanding that the ChatGPT maker destroy any proprietary materials. The company also wants OpenAI to redesign upcoming products to ensure they don’t include any of Apple’s technology.
The potential of a prolonged legal battle could complicate OpenAI’s plans as it gears up for an IPO.