Apple has intensified its legal battle with OpenAI, accusing the AI company and former Apple employees of using confidential information and destroying evidence relevant to a trade secrets case. The dispute comes as OpenAI expands into consumer hardware, making Apple’s proprietary technology and employee expertise increasingly relevant to competition between the two companies.

Apple Presents New Evidence From Former Engineer’s MacBook

Apple’s latest court filing centers on former senior systems electrical engineer Chang Liu, who left Apple for OpenAI in January 2026. According to Apple, forensic analysis of a MacBook recently returned to the company showed that Liu had downloaded a confidential Apple circuit schematic and subsequently used it in his work at OpenAI.

Apple further alleges that Liu used the schematic with LTspice, an electrical engineering simulation tool, and that he trained an AI agent to operate the software and evaluate its results. Apple argues that using proprietary information in an AI-driven workflow could create continuing concerns because information incorporated into an AI system may be difficult to fully remove or contain.

The allegations remain contested and have not been established in court. OpenAI has previously argued that Apple’s claims lack merit and has sought dismissal of the lawsuit.

Dispute Over Alleged Destruction of Evidence

The latest escalation concerns evidence preservation. Apple alleges that Liu became aware of the company’s internal investigation and instructed an OpenAI colleague to destroy evidence, with the colleague allegedly indicating that the instruction would be followed.

Apple says the MacBook provides important evidence about Liu’s continued access to Apple’s third-party cloud storage and his handling of confidential material after leaving the company. The company is using the findings to argue that the court should accelerate the discovery process and require broader access to relevant devices, communications and data repositories.

The dispute is significant because discovery could determine how widely the alleged information was accessed or used within OpenAI. Apple has already sought measures aimed at preventing the use or disclosure of its trade secrets, while OpenAI has challenged the underlying allegations and sought to have the case dismissed.

What the Lawsuit Means for Apple, OpenAI and Investors

The case carries strategic implications beyond a dispute between two technology companies. OpenAI is developing its own consumer hardware strategy and has recruited senior talent from Apple, including former Apple design executive Tang Tan. Apple therefore has a direct interest in protecting proprietary engineering knowledge as OpenAI develops products that could eventually compete for consumer attention and hardware spending.

For Apple, the litigation also highlights the importance of protecting intellectual property as competition in artificial intelligence expands beyond software into devices and computing infrastructure. For OpenAI, an adverse legal outcome could create restrictions on the use of certain information, increase compliance costs and complicate its hardware development strategy.

Investors will be watching the court’s response to Apple’s request for expedited discovery, the handling of the alleged evidence destruction and whether the case produces additional disclosures about OpenAI’s hardware activities. The broader issue is whether the dispute remains a targeted intellectual-property case or develops into a larger legal challenge to OpenAI’s approach to recruiting specialized talent and developing new hardware products.