Judge orders OpenAI to turn over hiring records in Apple trade secrets case

A judge has ruled that Apple will gain expedited access to OpenAI’s hiring materials in the trade secrets-focused lawsuit the iPhone maker filed against OpenAI in July. Specifically, the court will allow Apple to view documents associated with OpenAI’s interviews with former Apple employees who applied for roles within its consumer hardware and robotics groups ahead of the rumored launch of OpenAI’s first hardware device.

一位法官裁定，苹果公司将在其七月份针对 OpenAI 提起的商业机密诉讼中，获得对 OpenAI 招聘材料的快速查阅权。具体而言，法院将允许苹果公司查看 OpenAI 与前苹果员工面试相关的文档，这些员工在 OpenAI 传闻中的首款硬件设备发布前，曾申请过其消费类硬件和机器人部门的职位。

These documents could include interview checklists, guides, instructions, manuals, and scripts, as well as technical presentations and records showing that interview discussions had included references to Apple technology or components. The court gave OpenAI five days to turn over materials it has already collected and 14 days for any other materials related to this request, agreeing with Apple that these documents should be expedited.

这些文档可能包括面试清单、指南、说明、手册和脚本，以及显示面试讨论中涉及苹果技术或组件的技术演示文稿和记录。法院同意苹果公司关于加快处理这些文档的请求，要求 OpenAI 在五天内移交已收集的材料，并在 14 天内移交与此请求相关的其他材料。

The case comes as OpenAI develops a consumer hardware device that could one day potentially rival the iPhone — or smartphones more generally — if the AI device becomes a central part of consumers’ lives and how they engage with software and services. In its lawsuit, Apple accused OpenAI of a pattern of theft, which includes direct complaints about former employees using Apple laptops to download confidential material and files that contained information about unannounced technologies, features, and products, including technical specifications, engineering presentations, and proprietary project data.

此案发生的背景是，OpenAI 正在开发一款消费类硬件设备，如果该人工智能设备成为消费者生活以及他们与软件和服务互动方式的核心，它未来可能与 iPhone 或更广泛的智能手机形成竞争。在诉讼中，苹果指控 OpenAI 存在盗窃行为，包括直接投诉前员工使用苹果笔记本电脑下载包含未发布技术、功能和产品信息的机密材料和文件，其中包括技术规格、工程演示文稿和专有项目数据。

Apple also said that former Apple employees at OpenAI coached others considering leaving Apple for OpenAI on what information to bring to their interviews, among other allegations. U.S. District Judge Edward Davila didn’t greenlight all of Apple’s requests for expedited access to OpenAI documents and messages relevant to the case.

苹果还声称，在 OpenAI 的前苹果员工曾指导其他考虑从苹果跳槽到 OpenAI 的人，告知他们在面试时应携带哪些信息，此外还有其他指控。美国地方法官爱德华·达维拉（Edward Davila）并未批准苹果公司关于快速查阅与案件相关的所有 OpenAI 文档和消息的请求。

But he did rule that Apple could access the interview materials, alongside private LINE messages (from a messaging app) between individuals named in the case, including OpenAI employees Chang Liu and Alyssa Peng. The judge also approved depositions for Liu and Peng, along with a third individual, OpenAI’s chief hardware officer, Tang Yew Tan. All three are former Apple employees.

但他确实裁定，苹果可以查阅面试材料，以及案件中涉及的个人之间的私人 LINE 消息（来自一款通讯应用），其中包括 OpenAI 员工 Chang Liu 和 Alyssa Peng。法官还批准了对 Liu、Peng 以及第三个人——OpenAI 硬件主管 Tang Yew Tan 的证词采集。这三人均为苹果前员工。

However, the judge denied Apple’s request to expedite its access to OpenAI’s research and development in specific areas, like metal finishes and power management. He also denied several of Apple’s broader discovery requests, like access to OpenAI’s hardware research or information about what its former employees created while working at OpenAI. That denial isn’t final, though; the judge left the door open for Apple to narrow its requests and try again.

然而，法官驳回了苹果公司要求加快查阅 OpenAI 在特定领域（如金属表面处理和电源管理）研发情况的请求。他还驳回了苹果公司提出的几项更广泛的证据开示请求，例如查阅 OpenAI 的硬件研究或其前员工在 OpenAI 工作期间所创造内容的信息。不过，这一驳回并非最终决定；法官为苹果公司留下了余地，允许其缩小请求范围后再次尝试。