Apple’s OpenAI lawsuit is about who gets to define the post-smartphone era
The Verge Nilay Patel
Apple sued OpenAI alleging that former Apple employees, including hardware chief Tang Tan, solicited trade secrets during job interviews and downloaded confidential files related to manufacturing. The lawsuit involves claims that Tang Tan, who spent 24 years at Apple as VP of the Apple Watch before joining OpenAI after it acquired Jony Ive's hardware startup io Products, orchestrated efforts to extract information about secret projects and hardware. The case could force OpenAI to pay significant damages while already facing cash burn and executive turnover, potentially reshaping how AI companies compete in hardware development and defining what the post-smartphone era looks like.
Why it matters
Today on Decoder, I’m talking with Hayden Field, The Verge’s senior AI reporter, about the major trade secrets lawsuit between Apple and OpenAI and what this tells us about OpenAI’s future. By now I’m sure most Decoder listeners are familiar with Apple’s allegations in this case. The company says a number of ex-Apple employees at […]
