Apple Wins Access To OpenAI Hiring Records In Trade Secrets Lawsuit, But There's A Catch

Apple has gained a legal advantage in its trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI, with a US judge ordering the ChatGPT maker to disclose hiring documents, private messages, and employee testimony.

However, the court has also blocked several of Apple's broader demands for access to OpenAI's hardware research, making this a partial victory for the iPhone maker.
 

TL;DR

 

• A US judge has ordered OpenAI to provide Apple with hiring and interview records involving former Apple employees.
• OpenAI must submit existing documents within five days and additional relevant material within 14 days.
• Apple can access certain private messages and question three former employees, but broader requests for technical information were denied.

 

Apple Gets Access To OpenAI Hiring Records As Trade Secrets Lawsuit Escalates

The legal battle between Apple and OpenAI has taken another turn, and this time, the spotlight is on what former Apple employees may have discussed while interviewing for jobs at OpenAI.

According to the latest ruling reported by TechCrunch, US District Judge Edward Davila has ordered OpenAI to accelerate the disclosure of documents linked to candidates who previously worked at Apple and applied for positions in its consumer hardware and robotics divisions.

These materials include interview scripts, checklists, instructions, manuals, technical presentations, and records that may reveal whether Apple's proprietary technologies or components were discussed during recruitment.

OpenAI has five days to produce documents it has already collected and 14 days to provide additional materials covered by the order.

The ruling follows Apple's allegations that former employees who joined OpenAI carried confidential technical information, including engineering documents, specifications, and details concerning unreleased products.

Apple also claims that certain former employees advised colleagues considering similar career moves about what information to bring to interviews.

The dispute has previously intensified, with TechDogs reporting on Apple's allegations involving confidential engineering information and potential evidence destruction.

However, these allegations remain contested, and the latest ruling does not establish that OpenAI improperly obtained or used Apple's trade secrets.

 

OpenAI Employees Face Depositions As Judge Allows Access To Private LINE Messages

Beyond the hiring documents, Apple has secured access to certain private conversations conducted through LINE, a messaging application.

The approved disclosures include communications involving OpenAI employees Chang Liu and Alyssa Peng, both former Apple employees.

The judge has also permitted depositions of Liu, Peng, and OpenAI Chief Hardware Officer Tang Yew Tan, another former Apple employee.

Their testimony could help clarify the circumstances surrounding their recruitment, departures from Apple, and discussions about potentially confidential technical information.

Yet Apple's access to evidence has limits.

Davila declined to accelerate disclosure of OpenAI's research and development materials relating to metal finishes and power management. He also rejected broader requests for hardware research documents and information about work former Apple employees completed after joining OpenAI.

However, the court left Apple the option to submit narrower, more precisely defined requests.

That distinction matters because permission to investigate recruitment practices does not automatically grant Apple access to OpenAI's confidential product development.

 

OpenAI's Consumer Hardware Plans Add Stakes To Apple's Trade Secrets Case

The dispute arrives as OpenAI prepares to expand beyond AI software into consumer hardware.

The company has been developing its first consumer device alongside former Apple design chief Jony Ive, an initiative covered in TechDogs' report on OpenAI's hardware development plans.

Although the device's exact capabilities remain uncertain, the initiative raises questions about how technology companies protect intellectual property when experienced employees move between competing businesses.

For Apple, the immediate development provides access to recruitment evidence it believes could support its case. For OpenAI, the court's refusal to authorize broader technical disclosures preserves limits on what its rival can examine.

The next stage will determine what the disclosed records actually reveal, while the underlying allegations of trade secret misappropriation remain unresolved.