Apple filed a blockbuster lawsuit against OpenAI on Friday, accusing the company of trade secret theft. There are a lot of interesting tidbits throughout the initial filing, but one stat in particular stood out to me: the number of former Apple employees now working at OpenAI.
According to Apple’s filing, more than 400 former Apple employees now work at OpenAI. Because of this, Apple says “it is not surprising” that OpenAI employees have knowledge of secretive Apple information:
With over four hundred former Apple employees now working at OpenAI, it is not surprising that certain OpenAI personnel have knowledge of Apple’s confidential and proprietary information, which they are obligated to keep confidential.
But OpenAI has resorted to exploiting this confidential information, using it to extract still more from Apple’s current employees and trusted partners, and to structure its interview processes to try to solicit additional confidential Apple information—all while taking steps to conceal its actions. That OpenAI now employs people who were once entrusted with Apple’s trade secrets does not entitle OpenAI to use that information to jumpstart its hardware efforts.
While Apple doesn’t get into specifics, we know from Bloomberg reporting that Apple employees across countless teams inside Apple have left for OpenAI. Most recently, OpenAI poached Paul Meade, who had been in charge of Apple Vision Pro and Apple’s smart glasses project.
In fact, in a report on Saturday, Bloomberg said that “most” of OpenAI’s Apple recruits are from Apple’s engineering division led by incoming Apple CEO John Ternus. The report also noted that Tang Tan, OpenAI’s hardware chief and former Apple design chief, had a “strained” relationship with Ternus during his time at Apple.
The outcome of Apple’s lawsuit against OpenAI remains to be seen. Regardless, it’s bound to be a fascinating saga to follow — especially if it reaches the discovery phase. What are your thoughts on the lawsuit? Let us know down in the comments.
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