Apple gains expedited access to OpenAI hiring records
A US District Court judge has granted Apple expedited access to selected OpenAI hiring records in Apple’s trade-secrets lawsuit against the AI company. OpenAI must produce materials it has already collected within five days and provide other responsive materials within 14 days.
The order concerns interviews with former Apple employees who applied for roles in OpenAI’s consumer hardware and robotics groups. Apple’s requests come as OpenAI develops a consumer hardware device that could potentially compete with the iPhone or with smartphones more broadly if such AI devices become central to how consumers use software and services.
Interview documents and messages are in scope
Apple may review interview checklists, guides, instructions, manuals and scripts connected to the relevant candidates. The permitted discovery can also include technical presentations and records showing that interview discussions referred to Apple technology or components.
Judge Edward Davila further allowed Apple access to private LINE messages between individuals named in the case, including OpenAI employees Chang Liu and Alyssa Peng. He approved depositions of Liu, Peng and OpenAI chief hardware officer Tang Yew Tan; all three previously worked at Apple.
Apple’s wider discovery bid was not approved
The judge did not grant every request for accelerated discovery. Apple was denied expedited access to OpenAI research and development in specified areas, including metal finishes and power management. The court also declined broader requests for OpenAI hardware research and for information about work former Apple employees created after joining OpenAI.
Those denials do not foreclose further requests. The order leaves Apple able to narrow its demands and seek the material again. The dispute follows a growing contest around AI-focused consumer hardware, where the trade-secrets allegations amid the AI hardware race frames the trade-secrets allegations against the backdrop of the race to build new AI devices.
What the ruling means for sensitive hiring
Apple alleges that former employees used Apple laptops to download confidential material involving unannounced technologies, features and products, including technical specifications, engineering presentations and proprietary project data. It also alleges that former Apple employees at OpenAI coached prospective hires on what information to bring to interviews.
The ruling does not resolve those allegations, but it accelerates Apple’s access to a defined set of recruitment evidence. Businesses hiring personnel from competitors into sensitive engineering or product teams should maintain clear interview procedures, preserve relevant records and set boundaries around confidential information from prior employers.