Apple Accuses OpenAI of Recruiting Staff to Steal Product Secrets

Apple sued OpenAI in July, alleging trade secret theft. The claim centers on Tang Tan, OpenAI's Chief Hardware Officer and former Apple iPhone designer, who Apple says used confidential project codes while recruiting departing Apple engineers to extract unannounced product details. A second engineer allegedly retained an Apple laptop and downloaded confidential technical documents after joining OpenAI in 2026. Apple's February warning to OpenAI went unanswered.