Apple sues OpenAI for poaching and theft, analyst says hardware plans may be impacted

Apple has sued OpenAI in the US, accusing it of poaching about 400 employees and stealing engineering devices and confidential documents. This happens as the two companies shift from partners to competitors.

Analyst Paolo Pescatore from PP Foresight says even if the claims aren't proven, OpenAI's hardware plans could suffer. OpenAI is trying to connect directly with users instead of relying on iPhones, while Apple sees it as a rival.

Stanford law professor Mark Lemley notes that if former Apple employees really took secret files and used them at OpenAI, it's a serious issue. While poaching alone isn't illegal in California, stealing trade secrets is. This case involves consumer hardware and more details are expected to come out.