Yesterday we brought you the news that Apple's relationship with OpenAI has turned ugly, with the Cupertino company suing the AI brand and accusing it of stealing trade secrets. And a closer look at Apple's filing reveals wild details about OpenAI's interview process that are huge if true.
Apple says that OpenAI hired at least two previous Apple employees who continued to access sensitive information whilst working for the AI company. As reported by Moneywise, Chang Liu, a senior system electrical engineer at Apple for eight years, moved to OpenAI in January. "He discovered a security bug let him still reach the company's confidential hardware files, and rather than report it, he exploited it and coached a colleague still inside Apple on how to copy materials without tripping the security team."
Tang Tan, who served for 24 years at Apple and was most recently vice president of the Apple Watch, moved to Jony Ive's io in 2024. That company was acquired by OpenAI last year. Apple's lawsuit claims that Tan solicited trade secrets during interviews with former Apple employees for roles at OpenAI. As reported by The Verge, one employee was asked about "a top-secret project for an unreleased new Apple product."
Tan is also accused of asking former Apple employees to bring hardware components for "show and tell" sessions, with one message left on an Apple device suggesting Tan asked one candidate to "“bring some parts [she] worked on”. Tan is also accused of asking them to prepare "Technical Deep Dive" presentations on hardware they worked on.
Time will tell how the lawsuit plays out, but it currently paints a pretty damning portrait of OpenAI's, or at least Tan's interview process. In a statement to several publications, OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri has said, “We have no interest in other companies’ trade secrets. We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere.”
