Apple’s OpenAI lawsuit is about who gets to define the post-smartphone era

The Verge · 2 months ago · 13

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.