Apple reveals 'shocking evidence' from ex-employee's MacBook in OpenAI suit

Sep 02, 2026 03:19 AM - 1 hour ago 3

Apple has revenge a caller archive successful its ongoing suit against OpenAI arsenic it continues to push for expedited discovery. In today’s filing, Apple says that it has caller “shocking evidence” based connected early forensic inspection of a laptop utilized by erstwhile technologist Chang Liu.

Apple first filed the lawsuit successful July, accusing ex-employees of stealing waste and acquisition secrets for the use of OpenAI. It moved for a preliminary injunction a fewer weeks later, while besides asking the tribunal to expedite discovery, including early archive accumulation and depositions of cardinal OpenAI labor and executives. Apple again emphasized the request for expedited find past week. OpenAI has called for dismissal.

As covered before, Chang Liu is 1 of the parties named successful Apple’s lawsuit. Liu was a elder strategy electrical technologist astatine Apple who near the institution for OpenAI successful January. The suit alleges that Liu exploited a information bug to download confidential engineering files aft leaving.

In today’s filing, Apple says that Liu’s lawyers precocious handed complete his MacBook that he utilized aft leaving Apple. According to Apple, an “initial forensic analysis” of that MacBook revealed 4 things, quoted from Apple’s filing:

Mr. Liu not only downloaded a confidential Apple circuit schematic but besides utilized it successful his activity astatine OpenAI;
Far from his unauthorized entree to Apple’s third-party unreality retention being chartless to him, Mr. Liu and others astatine OpenAI were well-aware of that access;
Mr. Liu, upon learning of Apple’s soul investigation of him, sent instructions for destroying grounds to an OpenAI workfellow who confirmed she would comply; and
Mr. Liu utilized a instrumentality successful his activity astatine OpenAI that has the aforesaid sanction arsenic an soul Apple engineering exertion utilized for Apple improvement work.

Apple alleges that Liu ran a simulation successful March utilizing the circuit schematic record successful LTspice, an electrical engineering tool. In messages from astir that time, Liu said his AI “agent” learned to tally LTspice and reappraisal the results.

Apple argues that erstwhile waste and acquisition concealed accusation is fed into an AI supplier aliases exemplary that learns from it, that learning “may create irreversible and continually propagating uses of the waste and acquisition secret.”

Apple says the defendants decided not to inspect the laptop and alternatively chose to “advance theories that the device’s information disproves.”

Additionally, Apple learned astir Liu’s usage of the schematic because he utilized it connected a Mac mini which later synced via iCloud to the MacBook he took from Apple. Apple now besides wants entree to that Mac mini.

This “shocking evidence” is yet different constituent successful favour of expedited find successful the case, Apple says:

“This shocking evidence—which Defendants chose to disregard contempt its availability—demonstrates why Apple urgently needs expedited discovery. The MacBook represents the very constricted accusation Defendants provided truthful acold (and only aft weeks of delay), and shows Apple is not conducting ‘fishing expeditions’ but that its waste and acquisition secrets are being utilized and grounds is being destroyed.”

You tin publication the afloat filing beneath aliases via this link.