iPhone Engineer At Apple ‘stole’ These 3 Things When He Switched Jobs To OpenAI | Tech News
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Apple and OpenAI
OpenAI has poached some of the top AI executives.
Apple has taken a former iPhone engineer to court, and the allegations go well beyond someone simply switching jobs.
According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple has filed a 40-page lawsuit accusing Chang Liu, a former iPhone engineer, of leaving the company with far more than experience when he joined OpenAI’s hardware division.
The lawsuit lays out three specific things Apple says Liu took with him, and together, they form the core of a much bigger legal fight over trade secrets.
Item one: a MacBook that was never returned
The first allegation is fairly straightforward. Apple claims Liu failed to return a company-issued MacBook after leaving, and that this device contained sensitive internal files. Apple has cited this laptop as one of the key pieces of evidence in the case, arguing it was improperly retained well after his departure from the company.
Item two: an insider still feeding him information
The second claim is more personal in nature. According to the lawsuit, Liu maintained a close relationship with an Apple employee named Alyssa Peng, who allegedly continued sharing internal company information with him even after he had already left Apple.
Peng herself later joined OpenAI’s hardware division in April, becoming part of what Apple describes as a wave of more than 400 Apple employees who were recruited by the AI startup. This detail matters, since it suggests to Apple that this wasn’t an isolated incident, but part of a broader pattern of talent and information moving from Apple into OpenAI’s hardware efforts.
Item three: a software bug he allegedly exploited
The most serious allegation, and the one Apple appears to be leaning on most heavily, involves a software vulnerability. Apple claims Liu discovered a bug that gave him ongoing access to Apple’s internal file servers, and that he continued using this access even after he had already started working at OpenAI.
The lawsuit cites a message allegedly written by Liu himself, where he wrote, “LOL, I found out I can access the [network storage], so funny.” According to Apple, he used this access to download internal presentations, hardware designs, manufacturing details, and testing procedures, all while employed at a direct competitor.
The bigger allegation against OpenAI
Apple’s case doesn’t stop at Liu individually. The lawsuit frames this as part of what Apple calls a “systematic effort” by OpenAI to acquire and use its confidential information while building its own consumer AI hardware products.
According to the complaint, Apple alleges that OpenAI hired several former Apple employees, including senior hardware executives, and that confidential information tied to Apple’s hardware development was used to speed up the development of competing products at OpenAI.
Perhaps the most eyebrow-raising claim in the lawsuit is around OpenAI’s hiring process itself. Apple alleges that job candidates were reportedly encouraged during interviews to bring physical Apple prototypes with them, share proprietary manufacturing processes, and even help OpenAI gain access to Apple’s closely guarded network of suppliers.
Apple claims these materials were then used to fast-track OpenAI’s own secretive consumer hardware projects. Notably, the lawsuit doesn’t just name OpenAI. It also specifically names two former Apple employees individually, along with an AI device startup called io Products Inc, suggesting the scope of this case extends beyond just OpenAI as a company.
How OpenAI has responded
OpenAI hasn’t stayed quiet on this. Drew Pusateri, OpenAI’s Director of Strategic Communications, addressed the allegations directly on X, formerly known as Twitter, offering a firm denial. “We have no interest in other companies’ trade secrets,” Pusateri wrote. “We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere.”
What this means going forward
This lawsuit adds to a growing list of tensions between Apple and OpenAI, two companies that have increasingly found themselves competing directly, particularly as OpenAI pushes further into consumer hardware.
With specific named individuals, alleged internal messages, and a claimed pattern of over 400 employee hires cited as evidence, this case looks set to go well beyond a routine trade secrets dispute.
Whether these allegations hold up in court remains to be seen, but the lawsuit itself signals just how seriously Apple is treating the movement of its hardware talent and know-how into rival AI companies, especially as the race to build the next major consumer AI device heats up.
Delhi, India, India
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