OpenAI's Trade-Secret Dispute with Former Employees and Apple Escalates with Mutual Accusations
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On October 15, 2026, The Verge reported that in documents filed on Wednesday, OpenAI accused a former employee of taking more than 100 files related to product plans before leaving to join Apple, sending them to a personal account, and subsequently reporting to Apple executives, including the Vice President of Asia Operations. OpenAI said the files contained images of at least one unreleased device, supplier information, engineering data, and hardware coating sealing reports. OpenAI also linked Apple's new products released this week, such as the HomeView smart display, to the former employee's earlier demonstrations. Apple, in turn, accused OpenAI of stealing Apple's confidential files and spying on its hardware prototypes. Both sides are sticking to their accounts, and the dispute is still developing.
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- The Verge · AIOpenAI claims an ex-employee took its product plans and presented them to Apple
In filings submitted on Wednesday, OpenAI alleges a former employee took over a hundred files related to product plans before leaving to join Apple, sent them to personal accounts, and presented them to Apple executives including the VP of Asia operations. The files allegedly contained images of at least one unreleased device, supplier information, engineering data, and hardware coating sealing reports; OpenAI also links Apple's newly released HomeView smart display and other products to that presentation. Apple, in turn, accuses OpenAI of stealing confidential files and snooping on its hardware prototypes.
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