Apple has sent legal notices to dozens of its former employees who now work at OpenAI, as it seeks evidence to support its claims that the maker of ChatGPT stole its trade secrets. According to sources cited by the Financial Times, letters were sent to approximately 40 former employees, instructing them not to destroy any documents or communication records and asking them to meet with Apple's lawyers.
An aggressive legal strategy
The decision to send notices directly to the employees themselves signals an aggressive approach by the technology giant. Just last week, Apple filed a high-profile lawsuit accusing OpenAI and two employees of allegedly stealing confidential designs relating to hardware. In the court documents, Apple claims that the evidence it has presented is only the "tip of the iceberg" regarding OpenAI's alleged conduct.
OpenAI's response
The artificial intelligence company said that while it is treating the accusations seriously, it has found no evidence to substantiate the complaint.
A partnership that ended badly
The two companies had previously collaborated on integrating OpenAI's technology into the digital assistant Siri. Apple has since turned to Google, using its models as the basis for the upgraded Siri unveiled in June. The lawsuit filed last Friday names only two individuals as defendants, one of whom is a leading Apple device designer who now heads OpenAI's hardware division. The document does not name OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman or Jony Ive. Mr Ive, Apple's former design chief, joined OpenAI last year when the company acquired his design firm for $6.4 billion.
Source: Financial Times
