OpenAI asks judge to dismiss Apple trade-secret lawsuit alleging poaching of confidential information

OpenAI has moved to dismiss Apple’s trade-secret lawsuit in federal court, according to a report published Wednesday by Yahoo Finance. Apple’s complaint alleges that OpenAI and two former Apple employees stole proprietary information and then solicited that information from job candidates.

The motion is the latest step in a dispute that centers on whether confidential Apple material was misappropriated and shared in the hiring pipeline. While the court filing is described in the report, details of OpenAI’s legal arguments and Apple’s specific trade-secret claims were not fully laid out in the available account.

Apple’s allegations, as characterized in the report, focus on two related theories. First, Apple says OpenAI obtained or used trade secrets in a way that violated trade-secret law. Second, Apple alleges that the two former Apple employees solicited confidential information from people seeking work.

OpenAI’s request to dismiss suggests the company is trying to end the case early, either by challenging whether Apple’s allegations meet the legal threshold for a trade-secret claim or by arguing that the alleged conduct does not rise to actionable misconduct. The report did not specify which dismissal grounds OpenAI emphasized.

The lawsuit also highlights a recurring issue in Silicon Valley as AI and big-tech hiring intensifies: disputes over what information can be shared during recruiting, and what counts as protectable confidential know-how. When companies claim trade secrets were sought or transferred through job interviews, courts often look closely at the alleged confidentiality, the alleged misuse, and the specificity of the claimed secrets.

For Apple, a successful trade-secret case would not only protect internal business information, but also deter attempts by competitors to obtain it indirectly. For OpenAI, a dismissal would reduce legal risk and could limit the discovery process, which can force companies to produce documents and communications relevant to alleged misuse.

In the public reporting available here, neither side’s most granular evidence, such as the specific documents, systems, communications, or interview statements at issue, was described. The motion’s contents and the judge’s reaction were also not detailed beyond the fact that OpenAI asked to dismiss.

Going forward, attention will likely focus on whether the court grants dismissal in full or allows parts of the case to proceed. If the case survives, discovery and further motions could clarify what Apple claims as trade secrets and what OpenAI contends was either not confidential, not misappropriated, or not tied to the alleged recruiting conduct.