this post was submitted on 10 Jul 2026
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398
Apple Sues OpenAI, Accusing It of Stealing Company Secrets [🎁 nytimes gift link] (www.nytimes.com)
submitted 4 days ago by ccunning@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world
47 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Apple on Friday accused OpenAI of stealing secrets about products still in development, setting up a legal face-off between two of the world’s biggest tech companies.

In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the consumer tech giant said that OpenAI, a leader in artificial intelligence that has a new hardware business, had asked job candidates from Apple to share details about secret projects and to bring device components and prototypes to their interviews.

Apple also accused an OpenAI employee of downloading internal documents from a laptop owned by the iPhone maker.

OpenAI used the confidential information to approach Apple’s manufacturing partners, including asking one partner to demonstrate Apple’s technique for finishing metal on its devices, the lawsuit says.

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[–] DevDave@piefed.social 87 points 4 days ago (3 children)

It's kinda insane to frame OpenAI as remotely equal to Apple with "two of the world's biggest tech companies".

Apple has multiple profitable revenue streams, hundreds of physical stores, that giant donut super villain headquarters, they basically own multiple factory towns in Asia, and on top of it they have an ocean of capital hidden somewhere for a "rainy century" scenario. I think their only consistent loss leader is AppleTv, right?

OpenAI's business is generating something embarrassing like $100 for every $1000 spent (just random exaggerated numbers as sarcasm).

This outrageously dishonest narrative is being pushed constantly everywhere and I am more than just sick of it.

[–] aesthelete@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It's kinda insane to frame OpenAI as remotely equal to Apple with “two of the world’s biggest tech companies”.

This is kinda like how Tesla is a bigger company than other car companies combined by market cap but has a paltry market percentage and amount of cars sold.

Market caps and valuations run purely on vibes and have for some time now.

[–] DevDave@piefed.social 2 points 2 days ago

It feels surreal in how unsurprised I am at such rampant fraud. This whole mess is like the Emperor's new clothes was used a blue print and not a cautionary tale.

[–] KyuubiNoKitsune@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 4 days ago

They're both just hype machines and they both dgaf about the environment.

[–] Grumpus_Maximus@thelemmy.club -5 points 4 days ago (2 children)

I hate apple more than open ai

[–] grrgyle@slrpnk.net 20 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I hate them with like different flavours.

[–] DevDave@piefed.social 7 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Are the flavors something like: Apple is built on captive labor while OpenAI is built on stolen art

[–] grrgyle@slrpnk.net 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Very much so but hard to put into words. It's like from which angle they're coming in and predating upon my fellow humans. Like which legal systems or economies they're using.

OpenAI is also fresher, while apple has simmered for a while.

[–] DevDave@piefed.social 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Trying to find the source of this "AI is designed for wealth to access skill while keeping skill from accessing wealth."

[–] grrgyle@slrpnk.net 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I think you replied to the wrong comment, sounds cool though

[–] DevDave@piefed.social 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

No it was a reply to you and your statement of Apple being predatory, which they indeed are. AI is just a different flavor of sinister.

[–] grrgyle@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 day ago

Ah I see. Did you ever find your source? Now I'm curious too.

[–] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

I cant say I hate one more than the other, but I have hated Apple for much longer than I have hated OpenAI.

[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 109 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Apple accuses Data Scraper Inc. of scraping data.

[–] CovertOperative@piefed.zip 51 points 4 days ago (3 children)

This appears to go quite a bit beyond scraping data.

[–] errer@lemmy.world 17 points 4 days ago

Yeah ironically OpenAI is stealing hardware secrets here it sounds like

[–] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 6 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I know of a bunch of Apple folks (through a family friend) who went to open AI early on for big pay raises, but said it sucked there and planned to cash out after a year or 2. I wonder if they’re on anyone’s radar. Gonna ask next time I see them.

[–] e461h@sh.itjust.works 5 points 3 days ago

The bottom is finally starting to fall out for OpenAI. Sam has to be so desperate to try things like this. He should be prosecuted for all the stolen data he’s already stolen and the lies he’s told investors. Of course it has to be a tech giant to levy any kind of meaningful penalty. Quite sure Apple would like a piece of the ownership pie despite the likely coming collapse. They have so much cash it does not pose much of a risk.

[–] vane@lemmy.world 24 points 4 days ago

When you're AI company so you can't stop stealing.

[–] vk6flab@lemmy.radio 47 points 4 days ago (1 children)

We're going to need a lot of popcorn.

[–] ccunning@lemmy.world 38 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Fingers crossed for a juicy discovery and not a settlement 🤞

[–] chaogomu@lemmy.world 12 points 4 days ago

The possibile end of the bubble.

[–] magnetosphere@fedia.io 37 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Most of the time, I don’t care about corporate slap fights, but this will be fun to watch.

[–] chaogomu@lemmy.world 37 points 4 days ago (2 children)

If even half the accusations are true, then OpenAI doesn't have a chance in hell of existing at the end of this. The accusation alone might sink the company. They're projected to be completely out of money this time next year, they might have saved it with an IPO, but the general vibe is not optimistic for them, and that was before being accused of blatant industrial espionage of Apple IP.

I have never once given Apple money, and very likely never will, but if they kill OpenAI and pop this bubble then I'll give them a slight nod of respect before I go back to asking pointed questions about why all their factories need suicide nets.

[–] sundray@lemmus.org 5 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

It might be a long shot but there is a possibility that if they lose, OpenAI just hands the keys over to Apple. I don't know if that would be a good thing or a bad thing.

[–] bjc@scribe.disroot.org 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

i dunno, apple has a real habit of suing for theft and losing

[–] chaogomu@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Suing as a patent troll, but this sound lass like Apple being Apple, and more like some serious, and highly illegal, industrial espionage from OpenAI and Sam Altman.

Sam Altman built his business on theft, and may very well seriously overstepped here. I also expect a bunch of former Apple employees going to jail over the physical thefts, and that too will cause OpenAI problems because they asked for the thefts, and likely paid the former Apple employees.

[–] busted_Anoose@aussie.zone 1 points 3 days ago

I feel like no matter who wins, it will be great because both are shit ass companies

[–] rottenmummy@lemmy.ml 25 points 4 days ago

[–] ptz@dubvee.org 45 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (2 children)

Apple on Friday accused OpenAI of stealing

That's pretty much OpenAI's modus operandi, is it not? Like, they've stolen from everyone else on the planet, why did Apple think they were special? It's like they invited the Hamburgler to their BBQ and are shocked when all the sliders disappear.

Illustrated

[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 47 points 4 days ago (1 children)

There's scraping data, which should be considered stealing, and then there's asking people to steal company data as part of an interview process.

This is actual industrial espionage. If true, it could be a big deal.

[–] MrKoyun@lemmy.world 4 points 4 days ago

I fucking hope it is.

[–] Brkdncr@lemmy.world 20 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Apple is very litigious when it comes to their products, and has the capital and the best lawyers in the world available for them to call on.

The legal fees on this will cost millions.

[–] eestileib@sh.itjust.works 4 points 4 days ago

They ended up losing to Google on touch screens, but this seems like way more of a problem.

[–] Alvaro@lemmy.blahaj.zone 19 points 4 days ago

I mean, yes, the entire premise of ChatGPT is "we stole all the data we could to give you really convincing, logically devoid, text generation!"

[–] MadMadBunny@lemmy.ca 21 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Apple:

[–] Zarobi@aussie.zone 11 points 4 days ago (1 children)

[–] matt1126@feddit.uk 4 points 4 days ago

Surprise Dungeon Soup!

[–] Xerxos@lemmy.ml 5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

That sounds serious, but I wonder what it is that OpenAI wants from Apple? Currently they are mostly on the software side and Apple's secrets more on the hardware side.

Is it for the rumored physical AI thing they wanted to build?

[–] DataCrime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 4 days ago

It was totally the AI guys… It’s evolving so fast even we can’t comprehend it. It’s totally not one of our engineers.

Apple is just pissed nobody’s going for enhanced intelligence.

[–] WhatsHerBucket@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Apple also accused an OpenAI employee of downloading internal documents from a laptop owned by the iPhone maker.

How does this work exactly?

[–] WolfLink@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 days ago

They had an accomplice maybe. Or a careless Apple employee left their laptop somewhere. Both of those have been causes of Apple leaks in the past.

[–] SalmonTractor@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 3 days ago

OpenAI employee builds a rapport with an Apple employee on-site. Apple employee leaves laptop unlocked with OpenAI employee in their office and goes to the bathroom. No joke, it's just that simple.

[–] tias@discuss.tchncs.de -3 points 4 days ago

Oh no!

Anyway...