Industry Odisha Bureau, Jul 11: Apple on Friday sued OpenAI and two former employees, alleging misappropriation of its trade secrets to benefit the ChatGPT-owner’s foray into consumer hardware, in a dramatic escalation of already simmering tension between the two companies, according to reports.
The complaint, filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges a coordinated effort to steal Apple’s confidential information, including product designs, manufacturing processes and supply chain strategies.
More than 400 former Apple employees now work for OpenAI, Apple said in the filing.
Apple also alleged that OpenAI employees sought confidential information from Apple suppliers, at one point allegedly having one of those suppliers carry out what Apple called a secret metal finishing technique on the belief that OpenAI had Apple’s permission to use the technique.
In a statement, OpenAI said it has “no interest in other companies’ trade secrets.”
“We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere,” a spokesperson for the San Francisco-based company said.
The legal fight represents a dramatic turn for two companies that worked as close partners in recent years. OpenAI, maker of the ChatGPT chatbot, has supplied vital technology to the Apple Intelligence platform and Siri digital assistant. But tensions have been growing for the past year — worsened by OpenAI enlisting former Apple design visionary Jony I’ve to help develop devices.
OpenAI, which is poised for an initial public offering in the coming months, has lured away a vast number of Apple employees.
In 2024, Apple announced the integration of its “Apple Intelligence” technology across its apps including Siri and brought OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT to its devices.
Their partnership allows users to access ChatGPT results through Siri, while iPhone users can also sign up for ChatGPT memberships directly from the iOS settings menu.
Apple rolled out a long-delayed overhaul of Siri last month. The update comes two years after Apple first promised major upgrades that were repeatedly delayed.
