{"slug": "apple-reveals-shocking-evidence-in-openai-trade-secrets-lawsuit", "title": "Apple reveals ‘shocking evidence’ in OpenAI trade secrets lawsuit", "summary": "Apple Inc. has filed a court motion seeking expedited discovery in its trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI and two former employees, claiming it found 'shocking evidence' that its confidential circuit schematics were used in OpenAI's hardware development and that evidence is being destroyed. In a filing, Apple said forensic analysis of former iPhone engineer Chang Liu's MacBook showed he used a downloaded Apple circuit schematic and an internal engineering tool in his work at OpenAI, and that Liu sent instructions to destroy evidence to another OpenAI employee. Apple also alleged that an AI agent used on the schematic could create irreversible propagation of the trade secret, and it is requesting a Mac mini used to run the schematic be provided as evidence.", "body_md": "# Apple reveals ‘shocking evidence’ in OpenAI trade secrets lawsuit\n\nApple's lawsuit against OpenAI and two of its former employees over alleged stolen trade secrets is heating up.\n\nIn a [ new filing](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.474095/gov.uscourts.cand.474095.94.1.pdf), Apple says it has found \"shocking evidence\" and is asking the court for expedited discovery. Apple claims the limited information it found after a former employee's work laptop was returned to the company shows that \"its trade secrets are being used and evidence is being destroyed.”\n\nApple [ filed a lawsuit ](https://mashable.com/life/apple-openai-lawsuit-allegations)in July against OpenAI, its hardware company, io Products, and two Apple employees who now work at OpenAI. Apple claims that former iPhone engineer Chang Liu and OpenAI Chief Hardware Officer Tang Yew Tan utilized Apple's trade secrets to develop hardware products for the AI company. The latter previously worked at Apple for 24 years.\n\n**You May Also Like**\n\n*Last chance: Guess what Apple will release in September in our Big Guessing Game: Apple edition. Enter now for a chance to win an Apple Watch*\n\n*!*While the evidence is redacted from the public in the filing, Apple says that “initial forensic analysis” of Chang Liu's MacBook revealed that the former engineer used a downloaded confidential Apple circuit schematic in his work at OpenAI. Liu also used a tool with the same name as an internal Apple engineering application in his work for OpenAI.\n\n[Terms of Use](https://www.ziffdavis.com/terms-of-use)and\n\n[Privacy Policy](https://www.ziffdavis.com/ztg-privacy-policy).\n\nApple further claims it has evidence that other employees at OpenAI were aware of Liu's unauthorized access to Apple's third-party cloud storage. In addition, Apple says Liu sent instructions to destroy evidence to another OpenAI employee after discovering that Apple was conducting an internal investigation of him, and that the other OpenAI employee confirmed that she would comply.\n\nAccording to Apple, Liu used an AI agent on the Apple circuit schematic, which \"may create irreversible and continually propagating uses of the trade secret\" as the AI model could utilize Apple's data for model training.\n\nLiu's [MacBook](https://mashable.com/tech/best-macbooks-2026-expert-reviewed) from his time at Apple also synced with a [Mac mini](https://mashable.com/tech/apple-mac-mini-m6-mac-studio-announcement), which was used to run the schematic, so Apple is now requesting that the desktop computer be provided as evidence as well.\n\nEarlier this month, OpenAI [ went public](https://mashable.com/tech/openai-apple-lawsuit-court-public-opinion-texts) with a response denying any wrongdoing. OpenAI also provided text messages, which it says refute some of Apple's claims.\n\nApple previously sent [ legal preservation letters](https://mashable.com/tech/apple-sends-legal-letters-to-dozens-of-former-employees-now-at-openai) to roughly 40 other OpenAI employees who used to work at Apple. In its lawsuit, Apple said that it believes the initial evidence was \"just the tip of the iceberg\" when it comes to OpenAI's use of its trade secrets. More than 400 former Apple employees now work at OpenAI, according to Apple.\n\n*Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.*", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/apple-reveals-shocking-evidence-in-openai-trade-secrets-lawsuit", "canonical_source": "https://mashable.com/tech/apple-reveals-shocking-evidence-openai-trade-secrets-lawsuit", "published_at": "2026-09-01 15:53:04+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-01 16:26:05.738718+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-safety", "ai-policy", "ai-ethics"], "entities": ["Apple Inc.", "OpenAI", "Chang Liu", "Tang Yew Tan", "io Products", "MacBook", "Mac mini"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/apple-reveals-shocking-evidence-in-openai-trade-secrets-lawsuit", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/apple-reveals-shocking-evidence-in-openai-trade-secrets-lawsuit.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/apple-reveals-shocking-evidence-in-openai-trade-secrets-lawsuit.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/apple-reveals-shocking-evidence-in-openai-trade-secrets-lawsuit.jsonld"}}