Apple Sues OpenAI Over Ex-Engineer’s Alleged Trade Secret Theft
▼ Summary
– Apple is suing OpenAI, alleging that a former employee, Chang Liu, stole confidential files after discovering an authentication bug that allowed continued access to Apple’s servers for weeks after his termination.
– Apple claims Liu downloaded dozens of sensitive files, including unreleased product details and proprietary hardware data, which would be “invaluable” to a competitor developing AI-powered devices.
– The lawsuit accuses OpenAI of conspiring with former Apple employees to unlawfully shortcut development of a product line comparable to the iPhone.
– Liu left Apple for OpenAI in January 2026 and, instead of reporting the bug, used it to access and steal files while working on OpenAI hardware.
– Apple states the bug was quickly fixed after discovery and that no other affected users appear to have stolen confidential information.
Apple is taking legal aim at OpenAI, demanding significant penalties after uncovering what it calls a “rare” security flaw. That bug, according to a lawsuit filed Friday, allowed a former Apple engineer who had joined OpenAI to keep accessing confidential company data for weeks after his employment ended.
The tech giant is seeking multiple court orders to prevent OpenAI from using any proprietary information allegedly taken by former employees. In its complaint, Apple accuses OpenAI of collaborating with ex-Apple staff in a broader effort to “take an unlawful shortcut” and develop a line of AI-powered devices that could rival the iPhone’s market success.
The discovery came when Apple reviewed internal messages between a current employee, Yu-Ting “Alyssa” Peng, and Chang Liu, an engineer who spent eight years “working on some of Apple’s most sensitive product development programs.” Liu left Apple for OpenAI in January 2026.
On February 9, Liu reportedly found an “authentication bug” that Apple itself was unaware of at the time. This flaw let him access “Apple’s shared network folders” using an Apple-issued work laptop he should have returned, the lawsuit states. Instead of alerting Apple, Liu allegedly used the opportunity to download files covering multiple aspects of Apple’s business.
The lawsuit claims that “over several weeks, while developing hardware for OpenAI, Mr. Liu surreptitiously accessed and downloaded dozens of Apple’s confidential hardware-related files, including voluminous, detailed information about unreleased products, engineering presentations, technical specifications, and proprietary project data.” Of particular concern: Liu allegedly downloaded a presentation on Apple’s complex circuit boards, which Apple says would be “invaluable to anyone developing hardware.” Some of these files were “expressly labeled as confidential,” Apple added.
In messages left on his Apple-issued laptop, Liu reportedly mocked the company. “LOL,” he wrote to Peng. “I found out I can access the [network storage], so funny.”
Apple noted in a footnote that the bug was “quickly fixed” after the company discovered Liu’s messages and that it does not appear to have been widely exploited. “Although Apple is still investigating, server logs show that, unlike Mr. Liu, the few other users affected by this bug do not appear to have accessed or stolen Apple’s confidential information,” the lawsuit said.
(Source: Ars Technica)
