Apple says OpenAI is destroying evidence in trade secrets lawsuit

Apple and OpenAI are in a serious legal dispute. Apple says that OpenAI — the company behind ChatGPT, the popular AI assistant — stole its trade secrets. Trade secrets are confidential information that gives a company a competitive advantage. Apple claims OpenAI did this to develop an AI device, and that three former Apple employees who moved to OpenAI played a role in this.

Now things have gotten worse. Apple is accusing OpenAI of "destroying evidence" — getting rid of information that could be used in court. In a legal filing this week, Apple says OpenAI only just gave them a laptop that belonged to a former employee involved in the case. On that laptop, Apple found messages discussing how to destroy "forensic data" — technical information that investigators use to figure out what happened. This is significant because it suggests someone may have intentionally tried to hide proof.

Because of these concerns, Apple is asking the court to speed up the discovery process. Discovery is the phase in a lawsuit where both sides must share all relevant documents and evidence with each other. By asking for "expedited discovery," Apple wants the court to make OpenAI hand over materials faster than usual — before they can allegedly destroy more of it.

This accusation raises serious questions about how both companies conduct business and protect information. For everyday users, it highlights the growing tensions between tech giants as they compete in the AI race, and shows that even billion-dollar companies can end up in court fighting over stolen ideas.