Apple says a forensic examination of a former engineer’s MacBook uncovered a confidential circuit schematic and other evidence in its trade-secret case against OpenAI. OpenAI disputes the allegations as the court considers expedited discovery.
Apple says a forensic examination of a former engineer’s MacBook uncovered new evidence in its trade-secret lawsuit against OpenAI, including a confidential power-converter circuit schematic that the company alleges was used after the engineer joined the AI startup.[1][2]
The allegations appear in a supplemental brief filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Apple is seeking expedited discovery in the case, which also names former Apple employees Chang Liu and Tang Yew Tan, along with OpenAI entities and io Products.[1]
What Apple says it foundAccording to the filing, Liu joined OpenAI in January 2026 after working at Apple as a senior system electrical engineer. Apple says he downloaded a file from its third-party cloud storage on March 7. The file contained a power-converter schematic and simulation inputs for modeling the circuit’s operating modes. Apple says the circuit is used in, or being considered for, Apple products and is highly confidential.[1]
Apple’s forensic analysis further alleges that Liu used the file to run a simulation in LTspice on March 18. The filing says the resulting output files were uploaded to Liu’s iCloud account from a separate Mac mini and later synchronized to the MacBook that his attorneys provided for examination on August 21.[1]
The brief also quotes messages that Apple attributes to Liu describing an AI “agent” that learned to run LTspice and review results. Apple says it found additional evidence that Liu continued accessing and downloading files from Apple’s cloud storage after leaving the company. Those are Apple’s allegations, not findings that have been established by a court.[1]
OpenAI disputes Apple’s caseOpenAI has opposed expedited discovery and moved to dismiss the lawsuit. In a public response, OpenAI said Apple was “getting this wrong,” arguing that former employees retained access to some files because Apple did not properly manage departing employees’ system permissions. “We do not have, nor want, any of their trade secrets,” OpenAI said.[2]
Apple’s new filing also alleges that Liu told an OpenAI colleague to restore Apple-issued devices after learning about the investigation. Apple characterizes that as anti-forensic conduct; the filing’s claims remain contested.[1]
The defendants may file a response on September 4. A hearing on Apple’s expedited-discovery request is scheduled for October 1 before Judge Edward J. Davila.[1] The case could determine how aggressively Apple can protect hardware and engineering information as it challenges OpenAI’s plans to build devices.
Sources: [1] CourtListener filing; [2] OpenAI
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