Judge Orders OpenAI to Hand Over Hiring Records in Apple Trade Secrets Case

A federal judge has ordered OpenAI to turn over hiring-related records, according to TechCrunch, in a ruling issued as part of Apple's trade secrets case.

Under the order, Apple can access OpenAI's interview materials involving former Apple employees, giving Apple visibility into what OpenAI recorded while recruiting those people.

The ruling goes further than interview paperwork: Apple is also permitted to obtain private messages and testimony from key figures in the case.

Hiring files and internal communications are among the most sensitive material a company holds, and a court allowing them into discovery signals that it sees them as relevant to the trade secrets claims.

The underlying dispute is familiar in outline: when an employee moves from one company to a competitor, which knowledge counts as personal skill and which counts as protected trade secrets. Interview questions, evaluation notes and chat logs often become the evidence that draws that line.

Because both OpenAI and Apple sit at the center of the AI and consumer hardware industries, the case draws outsized attention, and it may serve as a reference point for how other firms police hiring across competitive boundaries.

What is confirmed so far is the discovery order itself, not any finding on the merits. What to watch next is what the records reveal about recruiting practice, and whether they move the case toward substantive proceedings.