OpenAI Employee Allegedly Took Secret AI Device Files to Apple, Presented it to Top Executives.
A former OpenAI employee who joined Apple allegedly transferred more than 100 confidential files about an unreleased artificial intelligence device to a personal account before presenting information about the product to Apple’s senior leadership, according to new allegations.
The company has not publicly established whether Apple incorporated any of the allegedly confidential information into its own products, according to Reuters.
The filing, submitted in U.S. federal court in San Jose, California, raises concerns about the potential exposure of OpenAI’s proprietary technology.
“OpenAI is very concerned that its trade secret and confidential information is now circulating inside Apple, where Apple engineers can shape Apple’s upcoming products based on OpenAI’s confidential and innovative work,” the company stated in its filing.
Apple has rejected the allegations, saying it maintains policies and procedures designed to prevent newly hired employees from using confidential information belonging to previous employers. The iPhone maker also said it has found no evidence supporting OpenAI’s claims.
The accusations emerged just as Apple introduced HomeView, a new smart-home product unveiled this week that highlights the company’s expanding ambitions in artificial intelligence.
OpenAI cited the HomeView launch in its filing, pointing to Apple’s growing development of AI-powered hardware. However, the timing of the announcement does not establish that Apple’s device incorporates technology belonging to OpenAI.
The latest allegations are particularly striking because they arise from a lawsuit Apple originally filed against OpenAI in July 2026. In that case, Apple accused former employees of taking confidential company information when they departed for OpenAI’s hardware division. OpenAI has denied Apple’s allegations.
The original lawsuit named Chang Liu, a former senior systems electrical engineer, and Tang Yew Tan, a former vice president of product design for the iPhone and Apple Watch, as defendants.
Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Edward Davila granted part of Apple’s request for expedited access to evidence in the case. The ruling allows Apple to collect digital information from certain former employees’ devices and conduct early depositions of three individuals, including Liu and Tan.
The decision gives Apple additional opportunities to examine whether proprietary information was improperly transferred to OpenAI, even as OpenAI raises its own concerns about confidential information allegedly reaching Apple.
The litigation remains in its preliminary stages, and neither company’s allegations have been proven in court. The case is currently expected to go to trial in October 2027, although OpenAI has indicated in court filings that it could be prepared for trial as early as June 2027.
