Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI on Friday, alleging that the artificial intelligence firm stole trade secrets to develop its own consumer hardware device for ChatGPT. Apple claims OpenAI engaged in a coordinated campaign to misappropriate confidential material, including product designs, in an effort to advance its foray into hardware.
The lawsuit alleges that OpenAI poached Apple employees and coaxed them into handing over tightly held information, such as secret prototypes, confidential presentations, and key supplier details. Apple asserts that this pattern of misconduct was directed by OpenAI's senior leadership, including its hardware chief and a long-time former Apple employee.
This legal action represents a major rupture in the partnership between the two companies, which entered a high-profile deal in 2024 to integrate ChatGPT into the iPhone's operating system. Apple described OpenAI's nascent hardware business as being rotten to its core.