OpenAI Accuses Former Employee of Leaking Hardware Plans to Apple
In an escalating legal dispute over trade secrets, OpenAI alleges a former staffer took more than 100 confidential product files and presented them to Apple leadership before joining the company.
OpenAI has accused a former employee of exfiltrating over 100 confidential files detailing unreleased product plans and pitching them to Apple executives before joining the tech giant.
The allegations were detailed in a legal filing on Wednesday as part of an ongoing trade secrets dispute between the two companies, which was earlier reported by Reuters.
Allegations of Exfiltrated Hardware Plans
According to the filing, the unnamed employee transferred proprietary files to a personal account and later presented the material directly to Apple leadership. Among the recipients of the presentation was Apple's vice president of operations in Asia.
OpenAI claims the compromised documents contained sensitive hardware specifications, including:
- Images of at least one unreleased device
- Supplier and engineering data
- Project files and cosmetic finish standards
- Technical reports covering the coating and sealing of hardware components
OpenAI directly connected the alleged leak to Apple’s recent product launches, including the HomeView smart display and a series of devices unveiled this week.
"That presentation appears to have happened months ago — and now, armed with that information, Apple is making a new push into AI-enabled products," OpenAI stated in the court documents, expressing concern that proprietary information is circulating internally among Apple engineers.
An Escalating Legal Feud
The new filing marks an offensive turn for OpenAI in a broader legal fight over intellectual property. Previously, Apple accused OpenAI of taking confidential documents and spying on hardware prototypes to inform its own product development.
While smart displays and home hardware have long been on Apple's development roadmap, OpenAI argues that the leaked documentation provided its rival with actionable technical and operational data. Apple has not yet publicly resolved the claims made in the filing as the legal battle continues.
