Apple sues OpenAI and former iPhone engineer Chang Liu over alleged trade secret theft

Source Domain: cryptobriefing.com

Leaving your old job on good terms is generally considered wise. Leaving your old job while allegedly keeping a company laptop and downloading files about unreleased products? That’s how you end up in federal court.

Apple has filed a trade-secret lawsuit against OpenAI, former iPhone engineer Chang Liu, and former Apple VP of Product Design Tang Yew Tan in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. The suit, filed on July 10, 2026, alleges that Liu retained an Apple-issued laptop after departing the company in January 2026, accessed Apple’s internal network post-departure, and downloaded sensitive information pertaining to unreleased hardware.

From Cupertino to OpenAI

Chang Liu spent eight years at Apple, from January 2018 to January 2026, working as a senior systems electrical engineer focused on iPhone hardware.

Liu left to join OpenAI’s hardware division as a Member of Technical Staff. Apple claims he walked out with a company laptop and then continued accessing Apple’s internal network after his employment ended. The company further alleges that Liu downloaded confidential files related to unreleased hardware while already working at OpenAI.

Apple’s complaint names Tang Yew Tan as a co-defendant. Tan previously served as Apple’s VP of Product Design and now holds the title of chief hardware officer at OpenAI. The lawsuit suggests that OpenAI and Tan may have coordinated efforts to help departing Apple employees evade the company’s exit protocols.

OpenAI’s hardware ambitions and the Apple talent pipeline

The lawsuit arrives against the backdrop of OpenAI’s aggressive push into consumer hardware. The company has recruited more than 400 former Apple employees as part of building out its hardware team.

OpenAI’s hardware efforts intensified following its 2025 merger with io Products. Apple’s complaint appears to argue that OpenAI actively coached Apple employees on circumventing exit…

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