OpenAI says it is “not aware” of any evidence that Apple’s allegations of trade secret theft are substantiated in a statement provided to Bloomberg.
Although we take these allegations seriously, we are not aware of any evidence that this complaint is substantiated. We believe in fair competition and the freedom to work wherever we want, and we are focused on creating innovative technologies that empower people everywhere.
Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI on Friday, accusing the company of intellectual property theft. Apple said OpenAI employees Tang Tan and Chang Liu conspired to steal confidential information from Apple in order to continue OpenAI’s hardware development. Tan is OpenAI’s director of hardware and a 24-year Apple veteran who led product design, while Liu is part of OpenAI’s hardware team after working as a senior systems electrical engineer at Apple.
Tan and Liu reportedly asked Apple employees interviewed at OpenAI to come prepared with details about previously unseen devices, components, manufacturing processes and supplier relationships. Liu is also accused of keeping an Apple laptop and exploiting an authentication bug to view confidential documents while working at OpenAI. From the trial:
This is the tip of the iceberg. Apple lacks visibility into what is happening behind closed doors at OpenAI, where such misconduct is normalized and exemplified by executives. However, this much is clear: At every level, from its technical team members to its chief hardware officer, and in coordination with business partners, OpenAI stole Apple’s trade secrets and confidential information. It naturally follows that OpenAI’s burgeoning hardware business now rests on the flimsiest of foundations, rotten to the core by its illegal reliance on misappropriated trade secrets.
When Apple first filed suit, OpenAI gave a dismissive response. “We are not interested in the trade secrets of other companies,” said OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri. “We remain focused on creating innovative technologies that empower people everywhere.”
OpenAI’s new statement on employee mobility hints at how it will present the matter publicly. In the lawsuit, Apple said that more than 400 Apple employees had migrated to OpenAI, so OpenAI can cite the hiring of former Apple employees as motivation for Apple’s lawsuit.
Apple is aiming for a jury trial and hopes to uncover more evidence through discovery. Apple has requested an injunction requiring OpenAI to stop using any Apple information during the development of OpenAI’s AI hardware device. Apple is also seeking damages and suing Tan and Liu for breach of contract due to the violation of their employment contracts.
