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Apple sues former VP Tang Tan for allegedly coaching employees to steal hardware parts for OpenAI

Apple has filed a lawsuit against Tang Tan, a former Apple VP who now leads hardware at OpenAI, accusing him of coaching Apple employees to bring actual hardware parts to job interviews and circulating an internal offboarding document to new OpenAI hires. The suit also names former Apple engineer Chang Liu. The case highlights escalating tensions between the two companies over talent and trade secrets.

7 engagement·1 source·Sat, Jul 11, 2026, 01:37 PM
According to a Reddit post, Apple's lawsuit alleges that Tang Tan, who spent 24 years at Apple and now runs OpenAI's device ambitions, coached Apple employees interviewing at OpenAI to bring actual hardware parts—such as batteries, logic boards, and SIPs—to their interviews for 'show and tell' sessions. He also reportedly circulated an internal Apple offboarding document marked 'Need to Know' to incoming OpenAI hires, teaching them how to leave Apple without triggering security checks. Additionally, former Apple electrical engineer Chang Liu is named in the suit for allegedly keeping Apple hardware parts after leaving the company. The case underscores the fierce competition between Apple and OpenAI for AI talent and hardware expertise.

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Apple(company)OpenAI(company)Tang Tan(person)Chang Liu(person)

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