Apple has escalated a legal fight against OpenAI, filing a trade-secret lawsuit and sending legal letters to roughly 40 former Apple employees who now work at the AI company.
According to the Financial Times, as reported alongside the Irish Times, those letters direct the ex-employees to preserve documents and communications and demand that they meet with Apple's lawyers. The Irish Times attributes these details to multiple people familiar with the matter.
Computerworld describes the move as Apple widening the dispute through "preservation orders," a common early step in litigation meant to stop potentially relevant records from being deleted before they can be examined. PYMNTS.com similarly reports that Apple is demanding documents from the former employees.
The core allegation, as summarized by MSN's coverage, is that Apple accuses OpenAI of misusing its trade secrets. MSN reports that OpenAI denies the claims and rejects the allegations.
The sources do not specify which technologies or products are at the center of the dispute, nor what specific information Apple believes was taken.
Why it matters: The case highlights how fiercely the biggest tech companies are now guarding talent and know-how as the race to build advanced AI intensifies, with Apple willing to pursue its own former staff to protect what it considers proprietary.