Apple accuses OpenAI of destroying evidence in trade secrets lawsuit involving former employee

Apple filed for expedited discovery against OpenAI, alleging the company destroyed evidence of trade secret theft by former employee Chang Liu and only recently surrendered Liu's Apple work laptop, according to TechCrunch. Apple claims Liu used a confidential Apple circuit schematic and an internal Apple engineering tool in his OpenAI work, and that OpenAI colleague Yu-Ting Peng helped Liu destroy evidence in June after learning of Apple's investigation. The filing states the MacBook provides evidence that Apple's trade secrets are being used.

Update (2026-09-03): According to TechCrunch and The Verge, law firm Edelson PC filed 30 lawsuit...