Apple Can See How OpenAI Hired Its Former Staff
A federal judge has given Apple an early look at OpenAI's hiring files in its lawsuit over secret company information. The order, reported Oct. 13, focuses on how OpenAI recruited and interviewed former Apple staff for hardware jobs. TechCrunch
Apple filed the case in July 2026 against OpenAI and two former workers. Apple says OpenAI ran a wide effort to take and use its private information. Reuters
The early order covers job interviews with former Apple workers who applied to OpenAI's consumer hardware and robotics teams. Think of it as the interview paper trail. It includes checklists, guides, instructions, manuals, scripts, technical presentations, and records of interview talk that mentioned Apple technology or parts.
OpenAI has five days to share material it has already gathered, and 14 days for other material under the order.
Judge Edward Davila also let Apple see private LINE messages involving OpenAI workers Chang Liu and Alyssa Peng. LINE is a phone messaging app, not company email. He also allowed formal sworn interviews, called depositions, for Liu, Peng, and hardware chief Tang Yew Tan. All three used to work at Apple. The early complaint named Chang Liu and Tang Tan as the two individual defendants. 9to5Mac
Apple's main claims are about files taken and hiring help. Apple says former staff used Apple laptops to download private material about products and features that had not been announced, including design details, engineering slides, and project data. It also says former Apple staff now at OpenAI told others thinking of leaving Apple what information to bring to job interviews.
The judge did not give Apple everything it asked for early. He said no for now to early access to OpenAI's work on metal finishes and power management. He also said no to wider early requests about OpenAI hardware work and about what the former workers made at OpenAI. Apple can try narrower requests later in the normal process.
Both sides have spoken out in public. OpenAI posted a response on Aug. 3 titled "Apple is getting this wrong." Apple asked the court for a preliminary injunction, an order to stop certain actions before trial, against OpenAI and two former workers on Aug. 4. Reuters
The broader context here is simple. When a software company starts building physical devices, courts often look first at hiring. Interview notes and messages show whether private information moved with people or whether the new company came up with ideas on its own.
In my view, this split decision follows a pattern I have seen for decades. The judge let Apple check the hiring step first. He held back OpenAI's product research until Apple shows a reason for it. For any tech team, it is worth noting in plain terms that private chats like LINE can become court evidence once specific people are named.
What to watch next is what those interviews actually show. A mention of Apple in a job talk can mean a candidate giving background, or it can mean an interviewer asking for details. The sworn interviews will help sort that out. Over time, clear hiring rules help both sides keep building without asking a court to check each document.
