Apple has filed suit against OpenAI and io Products, alleging two former employees took hardware trade secrets with them when they signed on with OpenAI's hardware unit.
The lawsuit names both OpenAI and io Products — the design firm led by Jony Ive, Apple's former chief design officer — as defendants. Apple alleges the two ex-employees disclosed confidential information after joining OpenAI's hardware team. In court filings, Apple reportedly described OpenAI's hardware operation as "rotten to the core." The specific trade secrets at issue have not been publicly identified.
Pulling Ive into the suit is a notable escalation. Ive spent nearly three decades shaping Apple's most iconic products before departing in 2019; io Products represents his return to hardware, this time alongside OpenAI. A legal action tying io Products to alleged misconduct signals that Apple views OpenAI's hardware ambitions as a competitive threat worth litigating, not just ignoring.
Apple has sued former employees over trade secrets before — but never with Jony Ive's firm on the defendant list.