Apple has filed a trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the artificial intelligence company of poaching more than 400 employees and stealing confidential hardware designs. The complaint, submitted in a California court, does not mention former Apple designer Jony Ive, a deliberate omission that leaves a notable gap in the narrative.
The core allegations
According to the lawsuit, OpenAI systematically recruited Apple staffers, luring them away with promises of higher pay and equity. Apple claims the departures weren't just a talent drain — they involved the removal of proprietary documents and blueprints for unreleased hardware. The company says the stolen designs could give OpenAI an unfair advantage in developing its own devices.
The 400-plus figure covers engineers, product designers, and supply-chain specialists. Apple argues that the scale of the exodus amounts to a coordinated effort to dismantle its hardware team from within.
Why Jony Ive is missing from the suit
The lawsuit conspicuously avoids naming Jony Ive, the celebrated designer who left Apple in 2019 and later founded LoveFrom, a design firm that has worked with OpenAI. Ive's name appears nowhere in the filing, even though his firm's collaboration with OpenAI has been public since 2020. Legal observers say Apple may be trying to keep the case focused on trade secrets rather than personal relationships, or it could be a strategic move to avoid a messy discovery process involving a high-profile figure.
Apple's omission doesn't mean Ive is irrelevant — it means the company is choosing not to make him a target, at least for now.
What Apple wants
The company is seeking an injunction to prevent OpenAI from using any of the allegedly stolen designs and is asking for unspecified damages. Apple also wants OpenAI to return all confidential materials and submit to an independent audit of its hardware development pipeline. The case is likely to hinge on whether Apple can prove that the departing employees actually took trade secrets, not just general skills or knowledge.
OpenAI's response
OpenAI has not yet filed a formal response. The company declined to comment when reached, but in past statements it has described its hiring practices as competitive and lawful. The lawsuit adds to a growing list of legal challenges for OpenAI, which is already facing copyright claims from authors and news outlets over its training data.
The case is set for an initial hearing in late June. Until then, both sides will trade motions over what evidence can be sealed and which former Apple employees may be deposed.
