{"id":63226,"date":"2026-07-13T15:46:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T19:46:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/?p=63226"},"modified":"2026-07-13T15:46:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T19:46:25","slug":"apple-openai-lawsuit-trade-secrets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/apple-openai-lawsuit-trade-secrets\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple Lawsuit Accuses OpenAI of Trade Secret Theft and Prototype Spying"},"content":{"rendered":"

Apple<\/a> has filed a blockbuster lawsuit accusing OpenAI of orchestrating a systematic campaign to steal confidential documents, spy on unreleased hardware prototypes, and poach employees specifically to obtain trade secrets. The 41-page filing, made public on Friday, alleges that OpenAI’s chief hardware officer, Tang Tan, and two former Apple employees engaged in a coordinated effort to siphon proprietary information as OpenAI prepares to launch its first AI hardware<\/a> device next year. The lawsuit centers on three individuals: Tang Tan, a 24-year Apple veteran who served as vice president of the Apple Watch<\/a> before leaving in 2024 to join Jony Ive’s hardware company io, which was later acquired by OpenAI; Chang Liu, a former Apple systems electrical engineer who worked on the iPhone for over eight years before joining OpenAI in January 2026; and Yu-Ting “Alyssa” Peng, another former Apple employee who joined OpenAI in April 2026. The complaint paints a picture of a deliberate scheme to extract Apple’s most closely guarded hardware and engineering secrets.<\/p>\n

Liu Retained an Apple Computer and Downloaded Confidential Files After Departure<\/h2>\n

According to the lawsuit, after announcing his departure from Apple, Chang Liu failed to respond to requests to sign a confidentiality reminder, schedule an exit interview, or confirm that he had returned company-owned devices \u2014 all standard procedures. Apple claims Liu “failed to return at least one Apple-owned computer” and told Peng that he still had “another computer.” More critically, Liu allegedly accessed Apple’s cloud-based network storage weeks after leaving, exploiting an authentication vulnerability that Apple was unaware of. The lawsuit quotes Liu as saying to Peng, “LOL, I found out I can access the [network storage], so funny,” to which Peng responded immediately: “I’m ready.” Apple accuses Liu of downloading dozens of confidential files, including technical specifications, details about unreleased products, and engineering presentations \u2014 one of which detailed the manufacturing and testing of Apple’s main logic boards.<\/p>\n

Peng Allegedly Fed Confidential Information to Liu While Still at Apple<\/h2>\n

In the months following Liu’s departure, Peng is accused of keeping him continuously informed about Apple’s ongoing projects, engineering details, and vendor relationships. The lawsuit alleges that “Mr. Liu’s work for OpenAI was informed by a steadily flowing stream of Apple’s trade secret information from Ms. Peng.” Apple further claims that Liu instructed Peng on how to access and copy files from Apple’s devices “to avoid trouble with the security team,” while directing her to specific project folders and proprietary engineering data. Peng left Apple for OpenAI in April 2026.<\/p>\n

OpenAI’s Hardware Head Allegedly Solicited Trade Secrets During Job Interviews<\/h2>\n

The lawsuit accuses Tang Tan of actively soliciting Apple’s trade secrets during interviews with job candidates. Apple claims Liu told Peng about a former Apple employee who “fumbled” his answers to a question Tan asked about “a top-secret project for an unreleased new Apple product.” Liu then allegedly downloaded information using his access to Apple’s network to help Peng prepare for her interview. In another instance, Apple claims a former employee began “screenshotting and downloading files relating to a highly confidential Apple project” before an interview with OpenAI. Tan is accused of asking for more information about that same project during the interview. Notably, Tan previously admitted to receiving confidential information about an AI hardware startup before joining Ive’s io.<\/p>\n

Tan Instructed Candidates to Bring Hardware Components for ‘Show and Tell’<\/h2>\n

Beyond questioning candidates about Apple’s secret projects, Tan is accused of telling interviewees to bring physical hardware components and product samples from their work at Apple for “show<\/a> and tell sessions.” The lawsuit cites messages left on an Apple-issued work device where Tan instructed an employee to “bring some parts [she] worked on” such as batteries, Systems-in-Package (SIP), multi-layer or main logic boards (MLB), and shields, adding that it may “be good to show” other interviewers these components. OpenAI is also accused of asking candidates to prepare “Technical Deep Dive” presentations containing slides that revealed confidential information from their work at Apple.<\/p>\n

OpenAI Allegedly Coached Employees on Evading Apple Security Measures<\/h2>\n

Apple claims Tan kept an internal document outlining employee offboarding procedures. OpenAI allegedly used this information to warn incoming Apple employees about the company’s security checks and “coached” them on how to avoid detection. The lawsuit alleges that OpenAI advised departing Apple workers not to disclose their new employer and offered tips on how to avoid a “dreaded walk out” \u2014 immediate removal from the company that prevents access to systems for two weeks. OpenAI is accused of telling employees not to “sign anything at the exit interview” and to inform OpenAI “asap” if asked to sign a document. Apple states that it has noticed “a recent trend of employees who are leaving Apple for OpenAI and taking steps to evade security measures,” including workers ignoring security personnel outreach.<\/p>\n

Apple Alleges Misappropriation of Proprietary Metal-Finishing Technique<\/h2>\n

The lawsuit also claims that OpenAI used confidential information to approach Apple’s trusted partners, including one that performs a proprietary multi-step metal-finishing technique for Apple products. OpenAI allegedly misled this partner into believing it had Apple’s permission to use the technique. “Apple has not given OpenAI or io permission to use or a license to any of Apple’s trade secrets or confidential information, including those it has entrusted with this partner,” the filing states. Apple further accuses OpenAI of approaching at least one other supplier that works with Apple on power and battery manufacturing, using confidential information and internal codenames to ask “targeted questions” about Apple’s components that would be useful for OpenAI’s hardware ambitions. OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri provided a statement denying the allegations: “We have no interest in other companies’ trade secrets. We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere.”<\/p>\n

What This Means for the AI Hardware Race<\/h2>\n

This lawsuit represents the most serious allegation yet of trade secret theft between two major technology companies competing in the AI hardware space. For readers and industry observers, the case underscores the high stakes involved as companies race to bring AI-powered devices to market. The outcome could set significant precedents regarding how companies handle employee transitions, the boundaries of competitive intelligence gathering, and the legal protections for proprietary manufacturing techniques. Those interested in following the case should monitor the court filings and any responses from OpenAI as the legal process unfolds in the coming months.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Apple has filed a blockbuster lawsuit accusing OpenAI of orchestrating a systematic campaign to steal confidential documents, spy on unreleased hardware prototypes, and poach employees specifically to obtain trade secrets. The 41-page filing, made public on Friday, alleges that OpenAI’s chief hardware officer, Tang Tan, and two former Apple employees engaged in a coordinated effort […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":84127,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cards.overcentral.com\/cards\/en\/63226.png","fifu_image_alt":"Apple Lawsuit Accuses OpenAI of Trade Secret Theft and Prototype Spying","footnotes":""},"categories":[349],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-articles"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cards.overcentral.com\/cards\/en\/63226.png","fifu_image_alt":"Apple Lawsuit Accuses OpenAI of Trade Secret Theft and Prototype Spying","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63226","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63226"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63226\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}