Overview
- Apple asked a federal judge on Monday for a preliminary injunction to bar OpenAI and two former Apple employees from accessing, using, or disclosing what it calls confidential hardware designs and supplier information.
- In the same filing Apple asked for expedited discovery and targeted depositions of former Apple engineers Chang Liu and Tang Yew Tan plus additional OpenAI staff and corporate representatives.
- OpenAI publicly rebutted hours later with a blog post that published emails and iMessages it says undercut Apple’s timeline, rejected the theft claims, and said it does not have or want Apple trade secrets.
- OpenAI agreed to some preservation measures but refused Apple’s request to let outside forensic teams inspect its devices, drives, and networks, leaving the scope of evidence searches in dispute.
- The outcome will shape OpenAI’s hardware timeline, hiring of ex-Apple engineers, supplier relationships, and investor views because courts must balance trade-secret protection against lawful employee mobility.