OpenAI must hand Apple hiring records early in trade secrets lawsuit, judge rules

What the judge approved

A federal judge has ruled that Apple can get early access to OpenAI's hiring records as part of the trade secrets lawsuit Apple filed against the AI company in July. According to TechCrunch, the order covers documents tied to OpenAI's interviews with former Apple employees who applied for roles in its consumer hardware and robotics groups — teams working ahead of the rumored launch of OpenAI's first hardware device.

The materials in scope could include interview checklists, guides, instructions, manuals and scripts, along with technical presentations and records showing that interview discussions included references to Apple technology or components. The court gave OpenAI five days to hand over materials it has already collected, and 14 days for any other materials relevant to the request, agreeing with Apple that these documents warranted expedited treatment.

U.S. District Judge Edward Davila also allowed Apple to obtain private LINE messages between individuals named in the case, including OpenAI employees Chang Liu and Alyssa Peng. In addition, the judge approved depositions of Liu and Peng as well as Tang Yew Tan, OpenAI's chief hardware officer. TechCrunch notes that all three are former Apple employees.

Apple's allegations

Apple's suit, filed in July, accuses OpenAI of a pattern of theft. Per TechCrunch, the complaint includes claims that former Apple employees used Apple laptops to download confidential material, including files containing information about unannounced technologies, features and products — technical specifications, engineering presentations and proprietary project data among them.

Apple also alleged that former Apple employees now at OpenAI coached others who were considering leaving Apple on what information to bring to their OpenAI interviews. That allegation explains why the interview records themselves are central to the case: if candidates were steered to reference Apple's confidential work during hiring conversations, those documents could surface direct evidence.

What the judge declined to expedite

The ruling was not a clean sweep for Apple. Judge Davila declined to fast-track Apple's access to OpenAI's research and development in specific areas, such as metal finishes and power management. He also denied several broader discovery requests, including access to OpenAI's hardware research more generally and information about what the former Apple employees created while working at OpenAI.

Those denials are not necessarily permanent. TechCrunch reports the judge left the door open for Apple to narrow its requests and try again.

Why it matters

The lawsuit sits at the intersection of two of the tech industry's biggest fault lines: the race to build AI-native consumer devices, and the aggressive hiring of specialized talent to do it. OpenAI is developing a consumer hardware device that, if it becomes central to how people engage with software and services, could rival the iPhone — and smartphones more broadly. Apple, for its part, is arguing that OpenAI's hardware ambitions were built partly on misappropriated know-how.

The discovery ruling gives Apple an early look inside OpenAI's hiring process, specifically at whether ex-Apple staff brought confidential information into interviews, which would support Apple's theft claims. But the judge's refusal to open up OpenAI's broader R&D signals that the court intends to keep expedited discovery narrowly tailored, at least at this stage.

The case is also a test of how trade secrets law handles AI-era talent flows between competing giants, where engineers routinely move between fierce rivals. The outcome could shape how aggressively companies litigate rivals' hiring practices — and how carefully employees treat sensitive material when they switch employers.