Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is expanding its legal offensive against OpenAI, sending preservation notices to roughly 40 former Apple employees now working at the artificial intelligence company as the high-stakes trade-secrets lawsuit proceeds.
The letters instruct recipients to preserve any documents, communications, or other materials that could be relevant to Apple’s claims and to meet with the company’s attorneys, the Financial Times and Seeking Alpha reported.
The move is designed to safeguard potential evidence as litigation proceeds. OpenAI reportedly employs as many as 400 former Apple workers, underscoring the intense competition for AI talent between the two companies.
The notices come one week after Apple sued OpenAI in U.S. District Court in San Jose, California, alleging the ChatGPT maker orchestrated a campaign to recruit Apple employees and obtain confidential information related to unreleased hardware, proprietary engineering processes, and product development.
Apple claims the alleged misappropriation was directed by senior OpenAI leadership rather than being limited to isolated employee actions.
The lawsuit marks a sharp escalation in tensions between two companies whose relationship has become increasingly complex. While Apple has integrated OpenAI’s ChatGPT into Apple Intelligence features across its ecosystem, OpenAI has simultaneously emerged as a potential hardware competitor following its acquisition of former Apple design chief Jony Ive’s AI startup and its push into consumer AI devices.
The legal battle became public shortly after OpenAI confidentially filed paperwork with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed initial public offering, potentially exposing the company to greater scrutiny from investors over intellectual property risks. OpenAI has not announced a timeline for a public listing.
The dispute also comes as OpenAI accelerates its consumer hardware ambitions.
Reports indicate the company is developing a new line of AI-native devices, with an AI-powered smart speaker expected to be its first major hardware product and a potential launch targeted for 2027. Those efforts could position OpenAI in more direct competition with Apple’s ecosystem of consumer devices, adding another layer to an already intensifying rivalry.
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