OpenAI is now accusing Apple of roughly what Apple accused it of. In a court filing Wednesday in Apple's trade secrets suit, OpenAI says a former employee who joined from Apple, stayed six months, and then went back sent more than 100 "highly confidential" files about at least one unreleased OpenAI device to his personal accounts. Some were sent just after midnight Singapore time on June 2, his last day at OpenAI.
According to the filing, the files include detailed images of the device, engineering and manufacturing data, supplier information and project files, standards for cosmetic finishes, and reports on coating and sealing hardware components. OpenAI says it understands the employee later presented its product plans to Apple's senior leadership, including Apple's vice president of operations in Asia. The person isn't named.
Then OpenAI reaches for this week's launches. "That presentation appears to have happened months ago—and now, armed with that information, Apple is making a new push into AI-enabled products," the filing says, with footnotes pointing to Apple's Home Collection announcement and TechCrunch's HomeView coverage. That's a stretch. Apple's smart display was rumored for years, and hardware doesn't go from a spring briefing to store shelves by October.
This is a short supplement filed ahead of a case management conference, not a new lawsuit. OpenAI says it raised the issue with Apple and hasn't gotten assurances that Apple doesn't have or use the material, and it wants room to investigate and, if needed, file counterclaims. Apple told Reuters it has policies and procedures to keep new hires from using confidential information from OpenAI or any other company.
Apple's own suit, filed in July against OpenAI, io, and two former Apple employees, says they took Apple secrets to help OpenAI build hardware. On Tuesday a judge ordered OpenAI to hand over its hiring records on a fast track.
— via The Verge