Tech giant Apple Inc. has officially filed a lawsuit against its former iPhone engineer, Chang Liu. The company accuses Liu of serious misconduct by absconding with physical assets and confidential company information when he left to join the hardware division at OpenAI.
According to court documents filed late last week, Apple claims that Liu not only kept a company-owned MacBook without returning it, but also exploited a software security vulnerability. This vulnerability granted Liu continuous access to Apple's internal file servers even after he was no longer an employee.
In revealed internal communications, Liu allegedly admitted to the illegal access to his former colleague, Alyssa Peng. Apple alleges that Liu used this access to download crucial documents, ranging from hardware designs and manufacturing details to product testing procedures, conducted while he was already actively working at OpenAI.
The lawsuit also implicates Alyssa Peng, who allegedly helped facilitate information access for Liu. Peng, who responded to the request with readiness to help, reportedly also provided access to information via her personal device. This incident subsequently led to Peng's resignation from Apple last April to join Liu in OpenAI's hardware division.
