Apple obtained former employee Chang Liu's old work laptop for investigation after his legal counsel handed it over earlier this month. Apple alleges that Liu, who now works at OpenAI, used a confidential Apple circuit schematic in his work at OpenAI, as well as a tool sharing a name with an internal Apple engineering application.
The company claims OpenAI was "well-aware" of Liu's access to Apple data and that Liu enlisted OpenAI colleague Yu-Ting Peng to help destroy evidence in June when he learned Apple was investigating him. Apple's filing states the MacBook shows "its trade secrets are being used and evidence is being destroyed."
Apple is seeking a preliminary injunction to block OpenAI from working on hardware based on Apple's technology while the case proceeds, as well as expedited discovery. The company alleges that more former employees may be implicated, with over 400 former Apple employees reportedly now working at OpenAI. OpenAI has previously defended Liu, stating he only accessed Apple files after leaving to help former colleagues, and has criticized Apple for failing to properly manage system access when employees depart.