Apple seeks injunction, says more ex-staff may be tied to OpenAI trade-secrets case

Apple is now seeking a preliminary injunction in its trade secrets case against OpenAI, aiming to stop the AI model maker from moving forward with developing an AI device or other products based on Apple’s technology. The iPhone maker also claims more of its former employees may be involved with the trade secrets theft.

In a new filing, Apple is requesting expedited discovery from the accused OpenAI employees — senior systems engineer Chang Liu and Chief Hardware Officer Tang Yew Tan — as well as OpenAI and its foundation, and io, the device startup co-founded by Apple’s former lead designer Jony Ive. Apple says its continued investigation has so far revealed 11 other former Apple employees beyond Liu and Tan who may have been witnesses or otherwise involved, alongside others already named in the original complaint, such as OpenAI employee Yu-Ting Peng.

The filing marks an escalation, suggesting Apple has uncovered new evidence that the alleged misconduct extends beyond the former employees named in its original complaint. Apple claims another former employee seems to have met with Liu and Peng ahead of Peng’s OpenAI interview and discussed Apple proprietary information about unannounced products, that yet another former employee took screenshots of confidential Apple documents relating to an unannounced product before an OpenAI interview, and that multiple former employees now at OpenAI reached out after the complaint was filed to discuss returning Apple-issued devices they had kept. Apple is pushing the court to allow expedited discovery because it says it has good cause to suspect further involvement; its motion for a preliminary injunction is also still pending.

OpenAI responded publicly in a blog post, saying Apple’s request for a preliminary injunction is “both based on false information and completely unnecessary because we do not have, nor want, any of their trade secrets.” OpenAI also pointed to earlier reported mistakes by Apple, including emailing the wrong person after confusing two similar surnames, and alleged that Apple lied about discussing the matter with its general counsel and did not admit that “residual access” letting former employees reach Apple’s systems resulted from Apple’s own poor security procedures.

Why it matters

The expanding discovery request signals Apple believes its trade-secrets dispute with OpenAI runs deeper than the employees already named, raising the stakes for a case that could shape whether OpenAI can build hardware products without exposure to Apple’s IP claims.