Asger Risom
Apple’s massive lawsuit against OpenAI reads like a spy thriller, alleging a coordinated corporate espionage campaign involving stolen laptops, secret moles, and recruiting-as-espionage.
Apple has launched an explosive, 41-page lawsuit against former partner OpenAI, accusing the fast-growing artificial intelligence startup of orchestrating a highly coordinated corporate espionage campaign. The tech giant alleges that OpenAI systematically raided its talent pool and misappropriated highly confidential trade secrets to jumpstart its own upcoming consumer hardware business.
According to a recent report from Fortune, the federal lawsuit centers on two former Apple employees, Tang Yew Tan and Chang Liu. Tan, a 24-year Apple veteran who oversaw product design for the iPhone and Apple Watch, now serves as OpenAI’s Chief Hardware Officer. Liu, a former senior systems electrical engineer, is accused of keeping his Apple-issued MacBook and exploiting a rare, previously unknown authentication bug to download dozens of confidential hardware files after joining OpenAI.
Stealing secrets with an internal accomplice
The lawsuit reveals jaw-dropping details regarding Liu’s departure. After leaving for OpenAI, Liu allegedly maintained close contact with Yu-Ting “Alyssa” Peng, an engineer still employed at Apple. By using Peng’s corporate credentials, Liu was able to remotely breach Apple’s network, texting his accomplice, “LOL, I found out I can access the [network storage], so funny.”
Liu downloaded voluminous data on unreleased products and manufacturing specifications before helping Peng secure a job at OpenAI by feeding her proprietary materials to study. Apple alleges that Liu then guided Peng on how to stealthily copy additional confidential files before she officially left the company.
Recruiting as a form of corporate espionage
Meanwhile, Apple claims that Tang Yew Tan used his new executive role at OpenAI to actively mine current Apple employees for information during the hiring process. Tan allegedly instructed candidates to bring CAD designs and physical prototypes into their OpenAI interviews, while purposely using Apple project codenames to extract as much proprietary data as possible.
Furthermore, Apple accuses OpenAI of reaching out to its carefully cultivated supplier network, misleading partners into believing they had Apple’s permission to carry out specific metal-finishing techniques for OpenAI’s upcoming hardware. With Apple warning that this 41-page filing is merely the “tip of the iceberg,” this high-stakes legal battle could ultimately define the future of the entire tech industry.
