OpenAI has accused a former employee who joined Apple of transferring more than 100 files related to an unreleased product to a personal account and later presenting information about the product to senior Apple executives. The allegations, detailed in a new court filing in California, have intensified an ongoing legal dispute between the two technology companies over confidential information, intellectual property, and competition in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence industry. Although OpenAI has raised concerns about the potential use of its proprietary work, Apple has denied finding evidence to support the accusations and maintains that it has safeguards to protect confidential information belonging to former employers.
The dispute comes at a time when both companies are expanding their efforts to develop artificial intelligence-powered products and hardware. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into smartphones, computers, and smart home devices, confidential research and product designs have gained considerable commercial value. Companies are investing heavily in developing new features, improving user experiences, and building competitive advantages around proprietary technology. Against this backdrop, allegations involving the transfer of unreleased product information can carry significant implications for corporate relationships, employee responsibilities, and the protection of trade secrets.
According to OpenAI’s latest court filing, the former employee allegedly transferred more than 100 files concerning an unreleased product to a personal account before making a presentation about the product to senior Apple leadership. OpenAI stated that the presentation took place several months ago and expressed concern that its confidential work could influence Apple’s future product development. The filing also referred to Apple’s recent introduction of its HomeView product, which has brought renewed attention to the company’s plans for AI-enabled smart home technology. However, the allegations do not establish that Apple used the files or incorporated OpenAI’s confidential information into any product.
“OpenAI is very concerned that its trade secret and confidential information is now circulating inside Apple, where Apple engineers can shape Apple’s upcoming products based on OpenAI’s confidential and innovative work,” OpenAI said in its filing.
Apple has rejected the suggestion that it has improperly benefited from confidential information brought by new employees. The company said it maintains policies and procedures intended to prevent incoming staff from using sensitive information obtained from previous employers. Apple also stated that it had found no evidence supporting OpenAI’s allegations. The opposing positions highlight a central challenge in the technology industry: distinguishing between an employee’s legitimate professional experience and knowledge acquired during previous employment, and information that remains protected as a company’s confidential intellectual property.
The controversy forms part of a broader legal battle that began earlier in 2026, when Apple accused employees who left the company for OpenAI’s hardware division of taking confidential information with them. OpenAI has denied Apple’s allegations. The competing claims have turned the dispute into a complex examination of how companies safeguard proprietary knowledge when experienced employees move between major technology firms.
Such disagreements are particularly sensitive in industries where product development depends on specialised engineering expertise, industrial design, software architecture, and long-term research. Employees naturally carry their general skills and professional experience from one job to another. However, trade secrets can include confidential technical documents, unreleased product specifications, internal development plans, and other commercially valuable information that is not publicly available. The legal question is whether protected information was improperly obtained, transferred, disclosed, or used, rather than simply whether an employee moved to a competitor.
The latest filing also follows a recent decision by US District Court Judge Edward Davila, who granted part of Apple’s request for early access to digital evidence held by OpenAI. The judge permitted Apple to collect data from certain devices belonging to its former employees and authorised expedited depositions involving three individuals connected to the dispute. The proceedings include Chang Liu, a former senior system electrical engineer, and Tang Yew Tan, a former vice president responsible for iPhone and Apple Watch product design.
Access to digital records can play an important role in trade secret litigation because electronic evidence may help establish when documents were accessed, transferred, stored, or shared. Device records, account activity, internal communications, and presentation materials may help investigators reconstruct events and determine whether confidential information was handled improperly. Depositions can provide further details about employee responsibilities, the circumstances surrounding departures, and the purpose of particular documents or presentations. Nevertheless, the collection of evidence does not itself establish wrongdoing, and the allegations will need to be assessed through the legal process.
The case also raises broader questions about employee mobility in the technology sector. Companies regularly recruit experienced engineers, designers, researchers, and executives from competitors to strengthen their own teams. This movement can support innovation by allowing professionals to apply their expertise to new challenges. At the same time, businesses must protect confidential assets that may have taken years of investment and research to develop. Employers therefore face the difficult task of maintaining effective safeguards without treating ordinary professional knowledge as proprietary information.
