lawsuit<\/a> filed Friday, Apple sought several injunctions blocking OpenAI from using confidential information allegedly stolen by former employees. According to Apple\u2019s complaint, OpenAI conspired with former Apple employees as part of a grand scheme to \u201ctake an unlawful shortcut\u201d and launch a line of AI-powered devices as marketable as Apple\u2019s iPhone.<\/p>\nApple explained that it found a bug while investigating internal messages between a then-current employee, Yu-Ting \u201cAlyssa\u201d Peng, and an engineer who spent eight years \u201cworking on some of Apple\u2019s most sensitive product development programs,\u201d Chang Liu.<\/p>\n
Liu left Apple for OpenAI in January 2026. However, on February 9, Liu discovered an \u201cauthentication bug\u201d that was unknown to Apple at the time. The bug allowed him to \u201caccess Apple\u2019s shared network folders,\u201d while using an Apple-issued work laptop that he should have returned, the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n
Rather than report the bug to Apple, Liu allegedly seized the opportunity to download files detailing various aspects of Apple\u2019s business.<\/p>\n
Specifically, Apple alleged that \u201cover several weeks, while developing hardware for OpenAI, Mr. Liu surreptitiously accessed and downloaded dozens of Apple\u2019s confidential hardware-related files, including voluminous, detailed information about unreleased products, engineering presentations, technical specifications, and proprietary project data,\u201d the lawsuit claimed.<\/p>\n
Particularly concerning to Apple, Liu allegedly downloaded a presentation on Apple\u2019s complex circuit boards that Apple claimed would be \u201cinvaluable to anyone developing hardware.\u201d Some files were \u201cexpressly labeled as confidential,\u201d Apple claimed.<\/p>\n
\u201cLOL,\u201d Liu wrote in a message to Peng, which was among many mocking Apple that Liu apparently left on his Apple-issued work laptop. \u201cI found out I can access the [network storage], so funny.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a footnote, Apple confirmed that the bug was \u201cquickly fixed\u201d after they found Liu\u2019s messages and that it did not appear to be widely exploited.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough 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\u2019s confidential information,\u201d the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Apple is gunning for OpenAI, demanding steep penalties after stumbling on a \u201crare\u201d bug that temporarily allowed a poached employee that joined OpenAI to maintain access to confidential information on Apple servers for weeks after his termination. In a lawsuit filed Friday, Apple sought several injunctions blocking OpenAI from using confidential information allegedly stolen by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7035942,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11768],"tags":[45266,1332,10719,198753,11438,6075,5822,16867,9792],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-7035941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-apple-2","tag-allegedly","tag-apple","tag-bug","tag-exengineer","tag-openai","tag-secrets","tag-steal","tag-sues","tag-trade"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/p>\n