A federal judge just handed Apple a win in its trade secrets fight with OpenAI.
The judge ruled that Apple can access OpenAI's interview materials involving former Apple employees, along with private messages and testimony from key figures in the case. That gives Apple a window into how OpenAI vetted and hired people who used to work for it, and what those people said along the way.
Discovery fights like this one are where trade secrets cases are actually won or lost. If Apple finds interview notes or messages suggesting a new hire walked in with confidential know-how, that becomes the backbone of its claim. If the records show nothing but ordinary industry chatter, Apple's case gets a lot weaker.
It is also a reminder that the AI talent war has a paper trail, and that paper trail is now discoverable.