Apple has formally sued OpenAI in a California federal court for trade secret theft. The defendants include OpenAI, its hardware head Tang Tan, and former Apple senior systems electrical engineer Chang Liu. Tang Tan is a 24-year Apple veteran who previously served as Vice President of Product Design for the iPhone and Apple Watch. The core allegation is the systematic theft of Apple’s trade secrets to develop AI hardware. Apple’s complaint directly accuses OpenAI’s hardware division of being corrupt at its core. Just two years ago, Apple @Apple and OpenAI @OpenAI were discussing a potential landmark partnership, with Siri’s integration into ChatGPT seen as a major catalyst for AI adoption. Now, the same partners are directly facing off in court. While poaching talent among Silicon Valley giants is nothing new, as the AI hardware sector moves from concept stages into mass production, the intensity of competition over patents and trade secrets will only escalate.