Apple has submitted what it describes as "shocking evidence" in its ongoing lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that a former employee used a confidential circuit schematic in his work at the company after leaving Apple to join its rival.
The new details emerged after legal counsel for Chang Liu — a former Apple employee who now works at OpenAI — handed over Liu's old Apple work laptop for investigation earlier this month, TechCrunch reported.
Apple alleges that Liu used a confidential Apple circuit schematic during his time at OpenAI, and that he also used a tool sharing a name with an internal Apple engineering application. The company further claims that OpenAI was "well-aware" of Liu's access to Apple data.
Apple's filing also alleges that Liu enlisted OpenAI colleague Yu-Ting Peng to help destroy evidence in June, after Liu learned that Apple had begun investigating him.
"The MacBook represents the very limited information Defendants provided so far (and only after weeks of delay), and shows Apple is not conducting 'fishing expeditions' but that its trade secrets are being used and evidence is being destroyed," the filing reads.
The evidence submitted to the court remains redacted from public view. Previous filings from Apple included text messages from Liu — which he punctuated with "crying laughing" emojis — indicating he was aware that he still had access to Apple files after departing the company.
OpenAI has pushed back on Apple's characterization of events, arguing that Liu only accessed Apple files after leaving the company in order to assist former colleagues who had requested his help. "Apple now tries to shift the blame to 'residual access,' but they also don't disclose that this is a common issue with Apple which is caused by them failing to properly manage system access when people leave," OpenAI wrote in a blog post earlier this month.
Apple disputes that framing, asserting that Liu retained access because he "exploited a rare, previously unknown authentication bug."
As part of the lawsuit, Apple is seeking a preliminary injunction — a court order that would bar OpenAI from working on hardware based on Apple's technology while the case is ongoing. Apple is also seeking expedited discovery, a fast-tracked evidence-gathering process, citing its concern that additional former employees may be implicated in the alleged scheme.
According to Apple's initial filing, more than 400 former Apple employees now work at OpenAI.
The case puts pressure on both companies at a delicate moment. Apple is preparing a leadership transition — with John Ternus set to succeed Tim Cook as chief executive — while OpenAI faces intensifying scrutiny over its relationships with talent drawn from competitors. How the court rules on Apple's preliminary injunction request will determine whether OpenAI faces restrictions on its hardware development work while the litigation proceeds.
Disclaimer