An OpenAI employee who left the ChatGPT maker for Apple sent more ⁠than 100 files about an unreleased product to a personal account and later presented the product to senior Apple leadership, a new filing in the lawsuit between OpenAI and Apple alleges.

In the filing in US federal court in San Jose, California, OpenAI alleged the presentation happened months ago and that Apple is now making AI products of its own, citing the release of Apple's HomeView product this week.

"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 said in its filing.

Apple said it has policies and ⁠procedures in place to ensure new employees do not use confidential information from previous employers and ⁠it has found no evidence to ⁠support OpenAI's allegations.

The document, filed on Tuesday, is part of an ongoing trade secret dispute filed by Apple earlier this year in which it alleged employees of the iPhone maker left and took confidential information ⁠to OpenAI's hardware division. OpenAI has denied those allegations.

The duelling allegations underscore the intensifying battle between the two tech companies over talent and intellectual property.

In an October 12 letter to OpenAI, made public in another court filing on Wednesday, Apple's lawyers said the two personal phone numbers OpenAI identified as ⁠recipients of the files do not match the number the employee uses for his Apple work.

Apple's lawyers also said there was no evidence so far of OpenAI files on Apple's servers based on Apple's investigation into repositories associated with his work.

In the court filing, Apple said OpenAI did not respond and instead went to court. Apple said it will continue to work with OpenAI to investigate the allegations.

Earlier ⁠this week, US District Court Judge Edward Davila granted part of Apple's request to obtain early access to digital files from OpenAI in the suit.

The case is likely to go to trial in October 2027, though OpenAI has said in ⁠court filings that it could be ready for trial as soon as June 2027. (Reuters)


Edited by Aaron Tam