Apple has accused a former employee who later joined OpenAI of using confidential company information to train an artificial intelligence agent for engineering work, according to a new court filing.
The allegations are part of an ongoing trade secrets lawsuit involving former Apple employees Chang Liu and Tang Tan, who later joined OpenAI. Apple claims the employees took confidential information from the company before and after moving to the AI firm.
In the latest filing, Apple alleges that Liu downloaded a confidential Apple circuit schematic months after leaving the company and subsequently used the material while working at OpenAI.
According to Apple, Liu used the schematic with LTspice, an engineering software program used to simulate and analyze electronic circuits. The company further alleges that he was training an AI agent to operate the software and interpret its results.
Apple claims Liu told another individual that his AI agent was capable of running LTspice, reviewing the results and adjusting compensation parameters as part of the engineering process.
The company said the AI-assisted workflow significantly reduced the time required to complete the work. According to Apple’s allegations, a task that previously required approximately a full day could be completed in around two hours using the AI-assisted process.
The allegations highlight growing concerns surrounding the use of confidential corporate information in the development and training of AI systems.
As companies increasingly use AI agents to perform specialized engineering and software tasks, access to proprietary technical information has become an important issue. Businesses typically treat circuit designs, technical documents and engineering data as sensitive intellectual property.
Apple’s lawsuit raises questions about how former employees handle confidential information after leaving a company, particularly when they move to organizations developing advanced AI technologies.
The case also illustrates the increasingly complex relationship between artificial intelligence and corporate trade secrets. AI agents can potentially automate technical workflows, but the information used to train or operate those systems can raise intellectual property concerns when it originates from confidential sources.
Apple filed the lawsuit in July against Liu and Tan, alleging that the former employees took confidential company information in connection with their departures and subsequent employment at OpenAI.
The latest allegations focus specifically on Liu and the alleged use of an Apple circuit schematic with an AI-assisted engineering workflow. Apple is seeking legal remedies through the ongoing litigation.
The allegations have not been established as facts by a court, and Liu and the other parties involved will have an opportunity to respond to Apple’s claims through the legal process.
The dispute comes as competition for highly skilled engineers and AI talent continues to intensify across the technology industry. The movement of employees between major technology companies can create additional challenges around protecting proprietary information and intellectual property.
The case could also draw attention to corporate policies governing the use of AI tools by employees. Companies are increasingly developing rules around what information can be entered into AI systems and how automated agents can access internal engineering or business data.
For the broader technology industry, the lawsuit demonstrates how traditional trade secret disputes are evolving alongside AI. Questions about data ownership, employee access, AI training and automated workflows are likely to become increasingly important as businesses deploy AI agents across specialized operations.
