Apple sues OpenAI, accuses ex-employees of stealing trade secrets(9to5mac.com)
1135 points by stock_toaster 15 hours ago | 597 comments
tl;dr: Apple has sued OpenAI, io Products, and two former Apple employees—ex-VP Tang Tan and engineer Chang Liu—alleging they stole trade secrets to benefit OpenAI's hardware efforts led by Jony Ive. The complaint claims Tan solicited confidential info and Apple hardware samples from job candidates, Liu exploited a security bug to download thousands of pages of engineering files, and OpenAI tapped Apple suppliers using insider knowledge. Apple, which says over 400 ex-employees now work at OpenAI, is seeking damages and injunctive relief as OpenAI prepares its first consumer hardware device.
HN Discussion:
  • The evidence in Apple's complaint appears damning and OpenAI will lose badly
  • OpenAI has a pattern of ignoring laws and IP rights, consistent with its origins
  • Businesses and enterprises should not trust OpenAI with their code, IP, or data
  • The AI industry broadly rewards theft and this is a symptom of that larger problem
  • Sarcastic take mocking AI industry's fair-use defenses for training on stolen data