Apple has reportedly sent legal letters to dozens of former Apple employees now working at OpenAI, asking them to preserve potentially relevant documents and communications while pursuing its trade secrets lawsuit against the AI company.
THE Financial Times ($) reports that Apple has targeted around 40 former employees with legal preservation letters, acting on its belief that the alleged misappropriation of confidential information may extend beyond those named in its initial complaint.
This development follows Apple’s lawsuit filed last week against OpenAI, in which the company alleges a coordinated effort to obtain confidential information relating to its hardware engineering and product development.
Apple claims that OpenAI recruited key engineers, including former Apple executives Tang Tan and Chang Liu, and benefited from proprietary designs, manufacturing processes and other trade secrets. 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.
The complaint says more than 400 former Apple employees now work at OpenAI and suggests the alleged misconduct is broader than a few isolated actions by individual employees. OpenAI denied the allegations, saying in a statement to Bloomberg this week, he is “not aware of any evidence that this complaint is founded”.
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. The company believes the evidence uncovered so far may only represent the “tip of the iceberg,” according to its lawsuit.
