Technology and Science01 September, 20262 min read
Apple Accuses Chang Liu Of Stealing Designs And Destroying Evidence In OpenAI Suit
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Apple alleges Chang Liu stole confidential Apple designs and used them at OpenAI. Apple claims Liu kept an Apple MacBook after leaving, enabling access to proprietary files.
Apple vs OpenAI
Apple accused former employee Chang Liu of stealing confidential designs for OpenAI and then destroying evidence, in a new court filing tied to Apple’s July lawsuit against OpenAI and former Apple employees Tang Tan and Chang Liu. Apple said an initial forensic review of an Apple-issued MacBook found that Liu used the device to download a confidential Apple circuit schematic and that the schematic was used by Liu at OpenAI.
Apple’s filing also says Liu and others at OpenAI were “well aware” that he still had unauthorised access to Apple’s third-party cloud storage providers. Apple argued that Liu tried to destroy evidence after learning Apple was investigating him by sending instructions for destroying evidence to an OpenAI colleague, and the filing calls this “shocking evidence.”
OpenAI’s rebuttal
OpenAI denied Apple’s allegations of trade secret theft, saying Apple failed to show any confidential information was stolen by former employees in a filing late Monday in U.S. District Court in San Jose, California.
OpenAI wrote, “This dispute is a mess of Apple's own making, and it is trying to blame everyone else,” and it argued California law allows employees to freely move between rivals.
OpenAI said Apple encourages employees to use personal iCloud accounts to access Apple work documents, making it difficult for departing employees to separate personal and company information.
OpenAI also defended Liu by saying any access to Apple documents after his departure was done to help former Apple colleagues locate files or answer questions related to Apple work, while Tang Tan said he returned Apple prototypes before departing and only retained non-confidential materials including an employee departure checklist.
Discovery and hardware stakes
The dispute is unfolding as Apple seeks monetary damages and an order directing OpenAI to stop the alleged conduct and destroy any proprietary materials, while OpenAI pushes to dismiss the case. Apple’s filing seeks expedited discovery, and TechCrunch reported that Apple is also pursuing a preliminary injunction to block OpenAI from working on hardware based on Apple’s technology while the case is ongoing.
TechCrunch said Apple alleges that Liu enlisted OpenAI colleague Yu-Ting Peng to help destroy evidence in June when he learned Apple was investigating him, and it quoted Apple’s position that “the MacBook represents the very limited information Defendants provided so far.” Reuters reported that Apple sued OpenAI and former Apple employees Tang Tan and Chang Liu in July over trade secrets related to hardware design, manufacturing and supply-chain operations as the ChatGPT maker pushes into consumer devices.