Apple has sued OpenAI in federal court in Northern California, alleging trade secret theft "at every level," according to CNBC and TechCrunch. The complaint claims OpenAI recruited Apple's silicon, on-device AI and hardware staff to build its own consumer gadgets. Apple names OpenAI hardware chief Tang Tan, a former Apple vice president, and alleges he asked job candidates still at Apple to bring "actual parts" to interviews. It also says a former engineer failed to return a laptop holding confidential documents. Fortune notes the striking reversal: the two firms partnered in 2024, but relations chilled after OpenAI entered hardware by buying Jony Ive's io Products for a reported $6.4 billion. OpenAI has not detailed a defense.