Apple and OpenAI face a trade secrets lawsuit as former staff, including leaders like Chang Liu, join the AI push. Liu has guided AI strategy at major tech firms and now sits at the crossroads of hardware ambitions and frontier labs.
Apple has filed a California federal lawsuit accusing OpenAI of poaching staff, sharing confidential designs, and using a supplier to access Apple’s metal-finishing process. OpenAI denies wrongdoing. The case centers on alleged recruitment tactics and the transfer of internal knowledge as OpenAI expands into hardware.