Judge orders OpenAI to share hiring records with Apple

Apple won faster access to OpenAI interview materials in its trade secrets case, but the judge rejected broader requests tied to hardware R&D.

Apple has won a partial discovery ruling in its trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI, with a federal judge ordering the company to turn over hiring materials tied to former Apple employees. The documents could shed light on how OpenAI interviewed people who had worked for Apple, including some who later joined its consumer hardware and robotics groups. The decision stands out because the case is unfolding as OpenAI works on a consumer hardware device that could eventually compete with Apple’s core business.

The ruling does not decide the lawsuit itself, but it gives Apple faster access to records it says are relevant to its allegations that confidential information was misused. At the same time, the judge did not grant everything Apple wanted, leaving a significant part of the dispute unresolved, as IT-PUB News reports.

Apple gets access to OpenAI interview materials

U.S. District Judge Edward Davila said Apple can review documents tied to OpenAI’s interviews with former Apple employees who applied for roles in its consumer hardware and robotics groups. The materials may include interview checklists, guides, instructions, manuals and scripts, along with technical presentations and records showing whether interview discussions referred to Apple technology or components.

The court gave OpenAI five days to hand over materials it has already collected and 14 days for any other materials covered by the request. Davila agreed with Apple that those documents should be produced on an expedited basis.

Apple had argued that the records were important in the trade secrets case it filed in July. According to the complaint, the company believes OpenAI engaged in a pattern of theft involving former Apple employees and confidential information.

Apple’s claims focus on former employees and confidential files

Apple’s complaint says some former employees allegedly used Apple laptops to download confidential material, including files with information about unannounced technologies, features and products. Apple also said those files included technical specifications, engineering presentations and proprietary project data.

The company further alleged that former Apple employees at OpenAI coached other Apple workers who were considering leaving for OpenAI on what information to bring to interviews.

Davila’s order gives Apple access to some of the materials it believes may help support those claims. That includes private LINE messages between people named in the case, among them OpenAI employees Chang Liu and Alyssa Peng. The court also approved depositions for Liu, Peng and OpenAI chief hardware officer Tang Yew Tan. All three are former Apple employees.

OpenAI’s hardware work keeps the case under scrutiny

The dispute has drawn attention not only because it involves two major tech companies, but also because it comes as OpenAI develops a consumer hardware device. The source says that device could one day potentially rival the iPhone, or smartphones more broadly, if it becomes a central part of how people use software and services.

That possibility raises the stakes of the legal fight. Apple is trying to determine whether its confidential information was improperly used, while OpenAI is building products that may eventually overlap with Apple’s hardware business. The case sits at the intersection of trade secrets, employee mobility and competition in consumer devices.

For now, though, the judge’s order is narrower. It focuses on hiring records and related communications, not on OpenAI’s product plans themselves.

Judge denies broader requests on hardware research

Davila did not approve all of Apple’s requests. He denied the company’s bid to speed up access to OpenAI’s research and development in specific areas such as metal finishes and power management. He also turned down several broader discovery requests, including access to OpenAI’s hardware research and information about what former Apple employees created while working at OpenAI.

Those denials do not necessarily end the matter. The judge left open the possibility that Apple could narrow its requests and try again.

For now, that leaves the case active and contested. Apple has secured an early look at some evidence, but it has been blocked from reaching into other areas of OpenAI’s hardware work at this stage.