Former Apple employees are clapping from school
It goes like this: technician Chang Liu, who worked on the most secretive product programs for eight years, is said to have used an authentication bug in Apple’s internal system after leaving Apple to gain access to all kinds of internal company documents. Instead of reporting the bug to Apple, he allegedly used it to gather all kinds of information while he was employed by OpenAI. Former Apple employee Yu-Ting Peng is also said to have been guilty of such practices. Peng is said to have even taken physical Apple technology to OpenAI to examine and learn from, and has done so at other job interviews of former Apple employees. In this way, OpenAI would have gained access to all kinds of essential information about the development process at Apple, including the complex circuit boards used in Apple hardware. Apple has now fixed the bug in the authentication system, and other employees would not have taken advantage of the bug to take malicious actions. However, the damage has already been done: OpenAI is said to have gained much more insight into Apple’s development process and used it for its own gain.
OpenAI does not agree with the complaint
The indictment caused a stir – not only among consumers who are following the case closely, but also among the companies themselves. OpenAI has already communicated that it does not agree with the claims and that it is not interested in the secrets of other companies. Sam Altman – the CEO of OpenAI – even spoke out about it on social media last weekend. “I’m not afraid of Apple, but I do have tremendous respect for them,” he responded to a post on X claiming OpenAI was afraid of the lawsuit.
OpenAI may want to get involved in hardware
Apple’s claims do not come entirely out of the blue: it is estimated that more than four hundred former Apple employees now work at OpenAI. According to Apple, this is a systematic method in which the company’s secret processes are viewed and applied to OpenAI’s working methods. Now Apple is best known for their hardware products, such as the iPhone and iPad, and OpenAI’s largest product is of course the AI model ChatGPT. So why does OpenAI need this information about Apple’s practices? Rumor has it that OpenAI is developing hardware to compete directly with Apple and further integrate their AI model into consumers’ lives. There is talk in the corridors about smart speakers and wearables, and there may even be a smartphone on the way that is entirely dedicated to ChatGPT. If this ultimately turns out to be true, information about Apple’s working methods and technological developments would be very valuable for OpenAI, especially if they want to take on Apple directly with their products. What will result from the lawsuit remains to be seen, but it is quite possible that the lawsuit will have a direct influence on OpenAI’s hardware plans. The not yet officially planned OpenAI hardware may even be delayed – something that is of course to Apple’s advantage.