Apple-OpenAI Trade-Secret Dispute Escalates

OpenAI has responded to Apple's trade-secret lawsuit by accusing the iPhone maker of trying to slow down its competitor. In a filing in U.S. District Court, OpenAI said Apple is using the lawsuit as an excuse to discourage employee departures and stifle innovation.

The dispute started when Apple sued OpenAI and two former employees, Tang Tan and Chang Liu, accusing them of misappropriating trade secrets related to hardware design, manufacturing, and supply-chain operations. However, OpenAI claims that California law allows employees to freely move between rivals, and it has hired roughly 400 employees from Apple for its hardware initiative.

OpenAI also pointed out that Apple's policy of immediately escorting departing employees from its premises does not give them enough time to return company devices or transfer internal files back to the company. The AI lab further argued that Apple encourages its employees to use personal iCloud accounts to access work documents, making it difficult for departing employees to separate personal and company information.

In a statement, OpenAI said 'This dispute is a mess of Apple's own making, and it is trying to blame everyone else.' It also claimed that Apple employees repeatedly contacted Liu for assistance after he left the company, including requests to help locate files or answer questions related to Apple work.