Apple Forensic Exam of Ex-Employee MacBook Yields Evidence in OpenAI Suit
The recovered data ties Apple's confidential schematics directly to Liu's work at OpenAI, and shows evidence destruction was coordinated after Liu learned of the internal probe.
Reporting from 1 source: GIGAZINE.
Apple filed new court documents in its trade secret suit against OpenAI and former employee Zhang Liu, who left for OpenAI in January 2026. Apple forensically examined the MacBook Liu returned and recovered deleted data. The analysis shows Liu downloaded Apple's confidential circuit schematics and used them in his OpenAI work, and that he told OpenAI colleagues to destroy evidence after learning of Apple's internal investigation.
Apple's forensic analysis also found that Liu used LTspice, an electrical engineering tool, to run simulations with the schematic files. In messages, Liu said he taught his AI agent to use LTspice and verify results. Apple argues that when trade secrets enter AI agents or models and get trained on, the secrets can be irreversibly and continuously used and spread. OpenAI has pushed back, saying it would have explained everything if Apple had consulted it before filing suit, and that Apple's claims contain errors.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.