Apple filed a lawsuit on Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleging that OpenAI and its senior hardware chief, Tang Tan, misappropriated Apple trade secrets and breached a contract.

The complaint alleges that Tan used Apple confidential project code names during OpenAI recruitment, instructed candidates to bring Apple hardware components to interviews, and coached departing Apple employees on how to bypass Apple security protocols. It also claims Tan requested details about unreleased Apple products.

Tan, who spent 24 years at Apple and previously served as vice president of product design for the iPhone and Apple Watch, joined OpenAI before the filing. The lawsuit adds former Apple senior systems electrical engineer Chang Liu, who is accused of retaining an Apple‑issued laptop after leaving the company in 2026 and using it to download confidential Apple documents, including specifications, engineering presentations and proprietary project data. Liu is alleged to have shared the information with other Apple employees applying to OpenAI and advised at least one candidate on interview preparation.

Apple sent a letter to OpenAI in February expressing its concerns, but received no response, according to the filing. Apple contends that the alleged conduct is part of a strategy by OpenAI to obtain confidential Apple information for its own hardware development, citing a proprietary metal‑finishing technique that OpenAI is said to have used after misleading a partner about permission.

OpenAI, through a statement posted on X, said it has no interest in other companies’ trade secrets and is focused on building innovative technology. The company did not comment further.

Apple is asking the court to prohibit OpenAI from using or disclosing its trade secrets, to require the return of any confidential Apple materials, and to preserve evidence related to the case.