OpenAI claims an ex-employee took its product plans and presented them to Apple

The former employee took more than 100 confidential files before leaving to join Apple, OpenAI alleges.

The former employee took more than 100 confidential files before leaving to join Apple, OpenAI alleges.

OpenAI claims a former employee took more than 100 files related to its product plans before joining Apple. In a document filed on Wednesday, OpenAI accuses the unnamed employee of sending this information to a personal account and then presenting it to Apple leadership, including the vice president of the company’s operations in Asia.

The filing, reported earlier by Reuters, is tied to a legal battle between Apple and OpenAI over trade secrets — but this time, OpenAI is doing the accusing. It alleges that the files in question contain images of at least one unreleased device, along with supplier information, engineering data, project files, standards for cosmetic finishes, and reports about the “coating and sealing of hardware components.”

OpenAI also links Apple’s new HomeView smart display and the range of other devices it revealed this week to the former employee’s presentation. “That presentation appears to have happened months ago — and now, armed with that information, Apple is making a new push into AI-enabled products,” OpenAI claims, while citing an article and a company announcement about Apple’s new product releases.

Apple’s product plans typically operate on a very long timeline, and its smart display has been rumored for years. Conversely, Apple accuses OpenAI of stealing confidential documents and spying on hardware prototypes to help build its own products.

“OpenAI is very concerned that its trade secret and confidential information is now circulating inside Apple, where Apple engineers can shape Apple’s upcoming products based on OpenAI’s confidential and innovative work,” OpenAI claims. Apple didn’t immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment.

• Emma Roth