Apple Says Former Engineer Used Stolen Trade Secrets at OpenAI, Taught AI Agent to Run Them

Billy Odell Tucker-Robinson Founder & Host — Banking With Billy Network • Intelligence Network • Data Science • AI Research • World News
Published: 2026-09-01T01:05:15.465Z • Permanent link

Chang Liu and Tang Tan, two former engineers at Apple, have been at the center of a high-profile trade secret theft lawsuit filed by the tech giant against OpenAI, a leading artificial intelligence research organization. In July, Apple accused Liu and Tan of using multiple methods to steal data from Apple, including using an Apple-issued MacBook that Liu kept after he left the company. The MacBook was returned to Apple after Liu and Tan were informed of the allegations. The lawsuit is a significant development in the ongoing rivalry between Apple and OpenAI, which has been gaining momentum in recent years.

Liu and Tan worked on various projects at Apple, including the development of Siri, Apple's virtual assistant, and Face ID, a facial recognition technology used in iPhones. They also collaborated with other Apple engineers on the development of Core ML, a machine learning framework used in Apple's devices. However, Liu and Tan left Apple in 2015 to join OpenAI, where they worked on various AI-related projects, including the development of a new AI agent that was allegedly trained using stolen data from Apple. The exact nature of the data stolen and how it was used by the AI agent is still unclear.

OpenAI, founded by Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and others, has been rapidly expanding its research capabilities and has attracted significant attention from the AI community. The company's GPT-3 model, a highly advanced language generation AI, has been widely used in various applications, including customer service and content creation. However, the lawsuit filed by Apple highlights the risks of intellectual property theft in the AI and tech ecosystem, and the need for companies to protect their trade secrets and intellectual property.

The trade secret theft lawsuit filed by Apple against OpenAI has significant implications for the AI and tech ecosystem. The lawsuit highlights the risks of intellectual property theft, which can have far-reaching consequences for companies and researchers. For example, the theft of trade secrets can lead to the development of AI models that are not only inferior but also potentially malicious. This can undermine the trust and confidence of users in AI-powered applications, which can have significant economic and social implications.

The lawsuit also has implications for the broader AI research community. OpenAI's GPT-3 model, which was allegedly trained using stolen data from Apple, is widely used in various applications. If the allegations are true, it raises questions about the validity and reliability of AI models that are trained using stolen data. This can lead to a loss of trust in AI research and the development of AI models that are not only inferior but also potentially malicious. Companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Google, which are major players in the AI research community, will be watching this case closely to see how it unfolds.

The trade secret theft lawsuit filed by Apple against OpenAI is not an isolated incident. There have been several high-profile cases of intellectual property theft in the tech industry in recent years. For example, in 2019, Facebook was sued by a group of developers who claimed that the company had stolen their intellectual property, including their code and trade secrets. Similarly, in 2020, Google was sued by a group of researchers who claimed that the company had stolen their research on facial recognition technology.