Apple presents new evidence against former employee accused of leaking trade secrets to OpenAI

Apple has submitted new evidence in its legal battle against OpenAI, alleging that former employee Chang Liu stole confidential data for the AI company. The evidence includes Liu’s old Apple work laptop, which was handed over by his legal counsel earlier this month. Apple claims Liu used a confidential circuit schematic and a tool with a name similar to an internal Apple application at OpenAI. The company alleges Liu enlisted colleague Yu-Ting Peng to destroy evidence in June after learning of the investigation. OpenAI has previously defended Liu, stating he accessed Apple files post-employment to assist former colleagues. The company criticized Apple for failing to manage system access properly when employees left. Apple, however, claims Liu exploited a rare authentication bug to maintain access. Apple is seeking a preliminary injunction to block OpenAI from working on hardware based on its technology and expedited discovery due to potential involvement of other former employees. Over 400 former Apple employees now work at OpenAI.