The complaint claims that OpenAI’s senior leadership, including Chief Hardware Officer Tang Tan, orchestrated a systematic effort to misappropriate confidential information from Apple.
Tan, a former Apple vice president, is accused of using internal project code names during recruitment and encouraging departing employees to bypass security procedures or bring physical hardware components to job interviews.
The lawsuit further alleges that several former Apple employees, including a senior systems electrical engineer, failed to return company equipment and downloaded proprietary technical documents regarding unannounced technologies.
Apple contends that OpenAI used these trade secrets to accelerate the development of its own rumored hardware products, which are expected to compete directly with the iPhone.
The filing highlights specific instances of misconduct, such as the alleged unauthorized use of a proprietary metal finishing technique and the solicitation of sensitive vendor information.
In its legal filing, Apple characterizes the behavior as a core strategy used by OpenAI to extract competitive intelligence.
The iPhone maker is seeking a court order to prevent OpenAI from using or disclosing its trade secrets, alongside the return of all confidential materials.
While Apple stated it intends to protect the innovations of its teams, OpenAI has not yet issued a public response to the allegations.