A federal judge has ordered OpenAI to quickly hand Apple the records from its interviews with former Apple employees. These are the people who applied to OpenAI’s consumer hardware and robotics groups. TechCrunch AI reports that U.S. District Judge Edward Davila granted Apple expedited access to those hiring materials in the trade secrets lawsuit Apple filed against OpenAI in July. OpenAI has five days to turn over documents it has already collected and 14 days for everything else covered by the request.
⚡ Key Takeaways
- Apple won a real early round. It gets OpenAI’s interview materials, private messages and three depositions on a fast track.
- Apple didn’t get everything. The judge turned down its requests for OpenAI’s hardware R&D, at least for now.
- The case goes straight at OpenAI’s hardware plans. OpenAI is building a consumer device, and many of the people building it came from Apple.
- Talent moving between AI companies now carries legal risk. How companies interview candidates from competitors is now evidence in court.
📂 What Apple Gets
The court gave Apple access to a specific set of materials:
- Interview materials: checklists, guides, instructions, manuals and scripts OpenAI used when it interviewed former Apple staff
- Technical presentations shown or discussed during those interviews
- Records showing interviews referenced Apple technology or components
- Private LINE messages (LINE is a messaging app) between people named in the case, including OpenAI employees Chang Liu and Alyssa Peng
- Depositions of Liu, Peng and OpenAI’s chief hardware officer, Tang Yew Tan
All three people facing depositions used to work at Apple. Tan is the most notable name. As OpenAI’s hardware chief, he sits at the center of the company’s push into physical products.
🚫 What Apple Didn’t Get
Judge Davila drew a clear line at OpenAI’s own research. He denied Apple’s request for expedited access to OpenAI’s R&D in specific areas like metal finishes and power management. He also rejected broader requests for OpenAI’s hardware research and for details on what former Apple employees have built since joining OpenAI.
Those denials aren’t final, though. The judge left room for Apple to narrow its requests and try again. So OpenAI won this part for now, but the fight over its R&D will probably come back.
🔍 The Allegations
Apple’s complaint describes what it calls a pattern of theft. According to the lawsuit:
- Former employees allegedly used Apple laptops to download confidential files before leaving
- Those files reportedly contained details on unannounced technologies, features and products, including technical specs, engineering presentations and proprietary project data
- Former Apple employees already at OpenAI allegedly coached others who were thinking about leaving Apple on what information to bring to their interviews
That coaching claim explains why the interview materials matter so much. If OpenAI’s interview scripts or presentations show candidates walking through Apple components or tech, that’s direct support for Apple’s case. If they’re clean, OpenAI gets a strong defense.
💡 Why This Matters
What stands out here is the timing. OpenAI is preparing its first consumer hardware device, and it’s widely expected to compete with the smartphone as the main way people use software and services. Apple has every reason to slow down a rival that hired from its own engineering ranks.
OpenAI has leaned heavily on Apple alumni for this hardware effort. Its 2025 acquisition of io, the device startup co-founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive, brought in a group of ex-Apple veterans, including Tan. Hiring experienced hardware talent is normal. The fight is over what came along with that talent.
The case also follows a wider pattern. AI labs have been hiring aggressively from each other and from Big Tech, and lawsuits over trade secrets and poaching keep piling up. This ruling shows courts are willing to look closely at the hiring process itself, not just at what employees did after they switched jobs.
🧭 What to Watch Next
- The next five to 14 days: OpenAI’s document deadlines. What turns up could shape whether the case settles or escalates.
- The depositions: Tan’s testimony in particular could reveal a lot about how OpenAI built its hardware team.
- Apple’s narrowed requests: expect Apple to come back with tighter discovery demands aimed at OpenAI’s R&D.
- Device timing: any delay or legal cloud over OpenAI’s hardware launch would be a big deal for the company’s consumer plans.
If you’re a hiring manager in AI or hardware, take note. Interview scripts, technical screens and informal recruiter chats can all end up in discovery. Document your process and keep candidates from discussing a former employer’s confidential work.
This legal fight is just getting started, and it could decide how fast OpenAI gets its first device to market. Full details are available in TechCrunch AI’s original report.