Musk's 2024 Apple-OpenAI warning resurfaces after lawsuit

A two-year-old post from Elon Musk is circulating again after Apple sued OpenAI on Friday, accusing its former AI partner of running a coordinated campaign to steal hardware designs, prototypes, and supplier data.

The timing has revived Musk's early scepticism about the Apple-OpenAI alliance, with accounts like Doge Designer resharing his original warning as evidence he saw the rift coming.

What did Musk say back in 2024 about Apple and OpenAI?

Apple first made an announcement that it would be using software from OpenAI in its operating system in June 2024. Musk immediately raised concerns about this collaboration since he believed that Apple could not have developed an AI but needed someone else to protect user information.

According to Musk, Apple had no visibility regarding the fate of user data in OpenAI.

Apple's lawsuit claims that OpenAI built its hardware unit using confidential information stolen from Apple engineers.

According to the lawsuit, OpenAI's recruitment process involved the use of Apple prototypes and blueprints at the job interviews, and OpenAI approached the Apple suppliers directly using their proprietary information.

Two high-profile hires are named specifically: Tang Tan, now OpenAI's chief hardware officer, and Chang Liu, a former iPhone hardware engineer who left Apple in January.

OpenAI has categorically rejected the accusations. Drew Pusateri, who is the director of strategic communications at OpenAI, stated on X that OpenAI does not want to know anything about the trade secrets of any firm, and its main aim is to create technologies that would benefit people.

The lawsuit filed by Apple Inc. against OpenAI is based on the misappropriation of trade secrets and breaches of contract by the defendants.