OpenAI Calls Apple's Trade Secrets Lawsuit 'Rotten to Its Core'
A dispute over alleged stolen secrets
Apple has sued OpenAI, accusing the ChatGPT maker of improperly obtaining its trade secrets. The case centers on a former Apple engineer who later joined OpenAI.
OpenAI seeks dismissal, calls claims 'meritless'
OpenAI has filed a motion asking a federal judge to dismiss Apple's lawsuit. In the filing, OpenAI argues that Apple is mischaracterizing both the routine actions of its employees and "generic" product development information as theft.
The fight centers on Apple's own security practices
Newly filed court exhibits show OpenAI's key defense: pointing to Apple's own security lapses. According to the filings, an Apple manager was able to access a former engineer's iCloud account even after that employee had left the company. OpenAI argues this undercuts Apple's claim that the information in question was properly protected in the first place.
What's next
OpenAI also described the lawsuit as "rotten to its core" in its filing. Whether the judge grants the motion to dismiss remains to be seen, and Apple has not yet publicly responded in detail.
Apple and OpenAI Are Fighting in Court Over Secrets
📰 Full story: OpenAI Calls Apple's Trade Secrets Lawsuit 'Rotten to Its Core'
Apple, the company that makes the iPhone, and OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, are arguing in court.
💡 The gist
- Apple says OpenAI took its trade secrets
- OpenAI asked a judge to throw the case out
- OpenAI says Apple's own security was too loose
Apple believes a former employee took company secrets and brought them to OpenAI, so Apple filed a lawsuit accusing OpenAI of trade secret theft. OpenAI disagrees. It asked a federal judge to dismiss the case, calling Apple's claims "meritless."
Why does OpenAI think its case is strong? The reason has to do with how Apple handled its own data. Court documents show that after the engineer left the company, a manager at Apple could still get into that person's iCloud account. OpenAI argues that if the information was really such an important secret, Apple would have locked it down far more carefully than that.
OpenAI also says Apple is treating ordinary things — like general knowledge employees pick up on the job, and "generic" product development information common across the tech industry — as if they were stolen secrets. In its filing, OpenAI went so far as to call the lawsuit "rotten to its core."
It's now up to the judge to decide who is right. Apple has not shared a detailed public response yet, so the next step is waiting to see whether the case moves forward or gets thrown out.
Apple and OpenAI Are in a Fight
📰 Full story: OpenAI Calls Apple's Trade Secrets Lawsuit 'Rotten to Its Core'
Two big computer companies are arguing about a secret.
Apple makes iPhones. OpenAI makes a chat robot called ChatGPT. Apple says someone stole its secret. They think a worker took it to OpenAI. OpenAI says "that's not true." OpenAI says Apple didn't guard the secret well. A boss at Apple could still see an old worker's stuff. OpenAI says real secrets get locked up tight. Apple says OpenAI is wrong. A judge will decide who is right.