Apple Sends Legal Letters to OpenAI Employees as Legal Case Continues

Apple is reportedly widening the scope of its trade secret lawsuit against OpenAI. The company has supposedly sent legal preservation notices to roughly 40 former employees who now work at the AI company as it searches for evidence related to its allegations.

According to the Financial Times, the notices instruct former Apple staff to preserve documents, messages, emails, and other communications that could be relevant to the ongoing case. Apple reportedly believes any alleged misuse of confidential information may extend beyond the executives named in its original complaint.

The latest development follows Apple’s lawsuit filed earlier this month, which alleges OpenAI orchestrated a coordinated effort to recruit key Apple engineers and gain access to proprietary hardware designs, manufacturing processes, and internal product development information. As we previously reported, Apple claims former executive Tang Tan (OpenAI’s Chief Hardware Officer) and former senior electrical engineer Chang Liu improperly retained confidential company information after leaving the  Cupertino company.

Apple’s complaint also highlights that more than 400 former Apple employees now work at OpenAI, arguing the alleged misconduct could be far more extensive than the actions of a handful of individuals. The company has described the evidence uncovered so far as potentially being “the tip of the iceberg.”

OpenAI has denied the allegations, stating it is “not aware of any evidence that this complaint has merit.”

The expanded legal effort comes after Apple’s lawsuit revealed new details surrounding OpenAI’s ambitious hardware plans. Court filings suggested the company was aggressively pursuing an AI-first device intended to challenge traditional smartphones, prompting questions about whether development relied on confidential Apple knowledge. The lawsuit has also raised the possibility that legal action could significantly delay or even derail OpenAI’s first consumer hardware product before it reaches the market.

Apple is seeking an injunction prohibiting OpenAI from using any confidential Apple information in developing future hardware. The company is also pursuing damages while suing Tan and Liu for alleged breaches of their employment agreements.

With discovery now broadening to dozens of former employees, the legal battle appears poised to become one of the technology industry’s most closely watched disputes over AI hardware and intellectual property.