Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that former Apple employees have stolen trade secrets for the benefit of the AI company. The suit names Chang Liu, a former senior system electrical engineer, and Tang Tan, a former VP of product design who led iPhone and Apple Watch development, as defendants. Apple claims Tan used insider knowledge of confidential projects to interview candidates and solicited internal Apple hardware components and documents.

Apple's complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, details an "established pattern" of former employees evading security protocols. Liu allegedly exploited a security bug to download over a thousand pages of confidential engineering files, including detailed manufacturing documents for complex circuit boards. Apple also asserts that OpenAI misled a trusted partner into using Apple's proprietary metal-finishing technique.

The lawsuit comes as OpenAI, under the leadership of former Apple design chief Jony Ive, works to launch its first consumer hardware device. OpenAI acquired Ive's startup io Products for $6.5 billion last year. Apple states it first raised concerns with OpenAI in February but received no response. The suit seeks injunctive relief and damages.