By Hamza Faisal
Apple has won an early round in its trade secrets fight with OpenAI. A federal judge has granted the iPhone maker's request for expedited discovery, giving Apple fast-tracked access to OpenAI's hiring records tied to former Apple employees who now work on OpenAI's consumer hardware and robotics efforts.
The ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Edward Davila, accelerates the fact-finding phase of the lawsuit Apple filed in July.
Apple accused OpenAI and two former employees, Chang Liu and Tang Tan, along with the hardware venture io Products, of improperly using confidential Apple information to advance OpenAI's consumer hardware development.
What the judge ordered
Under the order, Apple gains early access to materials connected to OpenAI's interviews with former Apple employees who applied for roles within its consumer hardware and robotics groups.
That includes interview checklists, guides, instructions, manuals, and scripts, as well as technical presentations and any records showing whether interview discussions included references to Apple technology or components.
OpenAI has five days to hand over materials it has already collected and fourteen days to produce the remaining records covered by the request.
The court agreed with Apple that the documents should be handled on an expedited timeline, accepting the company's arguments that preserving and reviewing evidence quickly is important given the pace of OpenAI's hardware work.
The order goes further than documents. Judge Davila also permitted Apple to obtain private LINE messages belonging to people named in the case, including OpenAI employees Chang Liu and Alyssa Peng.
He approved depositions for Liu, Peng, and Tang Yew Tan, OpenAI's chief hardware officer, all of whom previously worked at Apple.
Why it matters for OpenAI's hardware bet
The case sits at the center of one of tech's most watched transitions. Apple filed the lawsuit as OpenAI develops its first consumer hardware device, a product widely expected to challenge smartphones as the primary way people engage with AI software.
Apple's complaint described a pattern of alleged theft, including claims that former employees used Apple laptops to download confidential files containing information about unannounced technologies, features, and products.
The company also accused former Apple employees at OpenAI of coaching others who were considering leaving Apple on what information to bring to their OpenAI interviews.
OpenAI had opposed the expedited discovery request, arguing that Apple's demands were overly broad and that the regular discovery process was about to begin. The judge partly agreed, as some of Apple's requests were trimmed back.
What Apple did not get
The ruling was not a clean sweep. Judge Davila denied Apple's bid for accelerated discovery into OpenAI's research and development on metal finishes and power management, limiting the scope of what OpenAI must disclose early.
Still, the order puts OpenAI on a tight clock.
With deposition testimony and private messages now in play, the case is moving faster than OpenAI wanted, and the record being built could shape Apple's push for a preliminary injunction aimed at stopping the defendants from further embedding alleged trade secrets into their hardware development.
By Hamza Faisal
