Apple sends legal letters to dozens of ex-staff at OpenAI

Apple isn't stopping at the two former employees it named in its trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI. The company has reportedly sent legal preservation letters to around 40 former workers now employed at the ChatGPT maker.

According to the Financial Times, the letters instruct recipients to hold onto documents, records, and other evidence that could be relevant to the ongoing dispute.

Unlike a lawsuit, a preservation letter doesn't name someone as a defendant, but it signals that Apple believes the scope of the alleged theft could extend well beyond the individuals it has already sued.

Apple sued OpenAI on July 10 before the US District Court of Northern California, listing as defendants the entities OpenAI Foundation, OpenAI Group PBC, and IO Products along with two former employees from Apple, Chang Liu, a senior systems electrical engineer, and Tang Yew Tan, Apple's former vice president of product design for iPhone and Apple Watch, currently serving as OpenAI’s hardware head.

The lawsuit talks about a well-coordinated plot to obtain secret product designs, manufacturing methods, and supply chain details.

In its filing, Apple has provided a statistic that adds weight to this larger issue, stating that more than 400 former employees from Apple are now working for OpenAI. It seems like this is the logic behind Apple sending a broader range of letters requesting preservation of documents.