OpenAI accuses former employee of taking more than 100 files to Apple
OpenAI has accused a former employee of transferring more than 100 confidential files related to an unreleased product before leaving the company and rejoin to Apple. The allegation appeared in a recent court document submitted as part of the two tech giants' ongoing trade secret dispute.
The person had previously worked for Apple, joined OpenAI, then returned to the «iPhone maker» company about six months later – according to court filing. OpenAI claims that before leaving, the employee had transferred sensitive materials that included detailed images of at least one unreleased device, engineering and manufacturing data, supplier information, project files, specifications for product finishes, and reports related to coating and sealing hardware components.
Additionally, according to OpenAI, the former employee later presented senior Apple executives the information about the unreleased product. Now the company concerns that confidential information and trade secrets could be circulating inside Apple and potentially influence future product development.
Apple refuses these allegations with the claim that no OpenAI files were discovered in repositories connected to the employee's work during an internal review, and would keep working with OpenAI to investigate the matter. The company also emphasized that employees are prohibited from using confidential information belonging to previous employers and stated that it was not aware of any presentation involving unreleased OpenAI products.
The case highlights one of the most difficult issues in intellectual property protection. Employees working on important projects need access to confidential information in order to do their jobs, but under certain circumstances, that same access may pose a risk to the company.
These risks can be reduced with the use of DCAP and DLP solutions. FileAuditor can identify and classify confidential files, display who has access to them, and log activities pertaining to protected data. Next-Gen DLP Risk Monitor adds another layer of control by monitoring user behavior and data transfers across controlled channels.
This aids security teams in identifying attempts to transfer sensitive information outside authorized processes and, where necessary, block the transfer. The recorded activity can also support an investigation after an incident by helping reconstruct the sequence of events, identify which data was opened, copied, or transferred, and determine who interacted with it.
The allegations against the former OpenAI employee have not been proven, and Apple continues to dispute them. Still, the case demonstrates why protecting intellectual property requires controls over how sensitive data is handled, rather than relying on access permissions alone.
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