Apple says more ex-employees may have taken confidential data to OpenAI • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple says more ex-employees may have taken confidential data to OpenAI

#291

Post by halostatue » Wed, Aug 05, 2026, 2:17 PM UTC

jagged-chisel wrote: post #216

vachina wrote: post #75

A few of my colleagues were fired for including source code derived from Apple specifications in their Copilot session (yes we use Copilot).

> … fired for including source code derived from Apple specifications There has to be more to this story. Do you have anything substantial that you could share?

Many companies have rules that confidential materials cannot be used as context with LLMs.

These companies (usually rightly) don't trust that there is a sufficient firewall preventing training on confidential materials, rendering the confidential materials effectively public.

Re: Apple says more ex-employees may have taken confidential data to OpenAI

#292

Post by gavinmckenzie » Wed, Aug 05, 2026, 2:33 PM UTC

giancarlostoro wrote: post #7

I have never gone from one job to another where the new job was in the same exact industry I was in prior, but I'm glad I never have to be thrown into such a scenario where I'm accused of taking confidential data, I can only imagine for some employers that makes you a red flag, very dangerous territory to be in.

I have moved between clients (as a contractor) within the same industry every couple of years for nearly two decades, often cycling back around to the same clients more than once.

There have also been cases where a previous client kept my contract open after I had left and started with the next client. This gets disclosed to the new client, and my previous client gets informed of where I’m moving to so they have the option of immediately closing the contract if they feel there is a conflict that cannot be managed.

None of this is hard. It simply requires transparency and not doing dumb or nefarious things.

Re: Apple says more ex-employees may have taken confidential data to OpenAI

#293

Post by VCFundedGenYer » Wed, Aug 05, 2026, 2:47 PM UTC

skeeter2020 wrote: post #201

mock-possum wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow red polo with a green polo underneath and double popped collars That’s a brave look

Did you mean puzzling look? Why is he wearing 2 shirts? In the 90's we would wear a long sleeve Tee under a band t-shirt, but we didn't wear multiple t-shirts...

If you watch any 2000s comedy film, or just do a high level skim of 2000s pop culture, that was a very standard trendy attire back then. My parents were into me looking like that in school at the time as well + for photos.

Re: Apple says more ex-employees may have taken confidential data to OpenAI

#294

Post by delfinom » Wed, Aug 05, 2026, 4:25 PM UTC

keeda wrote: post #238

VCFundedGenYer wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why are you both-sidesing this? Apple is doing it right, simple high level statements. OpenAI is acting like a teenager posting screenshots of literal texts and being overall petulant. This is open and shut. The mature company will win this.

> Apple is doing it right, simple high level statements. OpenAI is acting like a teenager posting screenshots of literal texts and being overall petulant. Or you know, another perspective: Apple filed a very public lawsuit with some very explosive allegations, and OpenAI responded with receipts showing some of those allegations to be rooted in Apple's own incompetence. Sure, many more allegations are still unaddresse…

The Musk lawsuit was based on a Musk tantrum.

Apple is outright going for corporate espionage claims. They can also fall back to the CFAA and push for criminal prosecution of former employees individually.

Re: Apple says more ex-employees may have taken confidential data to OpenAI

#295

Post by delfinom » Wed, Aug 05, 2026, 4:27 PM UTC

wat10000 wrote: post #108

twothreeone wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree it feels scary from the employee's perspective, but at least in this case, it doesn't seem like it would've been difficult to avoid: simply return your work devices when handing in your badge: > [...] multiple former Apple employees now working at OpenAI reached out to discuss returning Apple-issued work devices they kept when they left Apple. By not doing that you effectively just cry "sue me", this is stupi…

Return your work devices immediately upon leaving. Don't even attempt to access any internal systems or accounts you previously had access to. It's real easy to avoid this sort of trouble.

Yep a lot of this falls under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act which can lead to criminal prosecution of an individual.

You lost access officially when you left the employer. Just because you still had some vestige credential that _could_ let you see old employer data does not mean you are legally entitled to use it.

Re: Apple says more ex-employees may have taken confidential data to OpenAI

#296

Post by keeda » Wed, Aug 05, 2026, 5:43 PM UTC

delfinom wrote: post #294

keeda wrote: post #238

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Apple is doing it right, simple high level statements. OpenAI is acting like a teenager posting screenshots of literal texts and being overall petulant. Or you know, another perspective: Apple filed a very public lawsuit with some very explosive allegations, and OpenAI responded with receipts showing some of those allegations to be rooted in Apple's own incompetence. Sure, many more allegations are still unaddresse…

The Musk lawsuit was based on a Musk tantrum. Apple is outright going for corporate espionage claims. They can also fall back to the CFAA and push for criminal prosecution of former employees individually.

Despite being based on a Musk tantrum it made it all the way to a jury trial, where Elon lost. Apple can sue over a lot of things, but seeing these chat messages and incompetent lawyer outreach does raise the possibility that this is based on an Apple tantrum as well. Which is exactly what OpenAI is implying.

Apple asked for expedited discovery, I guess you could say OpenAI obliged ;-)

Re: Apple says more ex-employees may have taken confidential data to OpenAI

#297

Post by jagged-chisel » Wed, Aug 05, 2026, 6:05 PM UTC

halostatue wrote: post #291

jagged-chisel wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> … fired for including source code derived from Apple specifications There has to be more to this story. Do you have anything substantial that you could share?

Many companies have rules that confidential materials cannot be used as context with LLMs. These companies (usually rightly) don't trust that there is a sufficient firewall preventing training on confidential materials, rendering the confidential materials effectively public.

I understand that. I’m curious about this specific situation.

Re: Apple says more ex-employees may have taken confidential data to OpenAI

#298

Post by comfysocks » Wed, Aug 05, 2026, 6:26 PM UTC

Hugsbox wrote: post #280

Ouman wrote: post #272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple still has to prove the allegations and show that they justify an injunction against the product itself

You think Apple would go through all this trouble if they didn't think they had a rock-solid case?

Absolutely. I don’t know how strong their case is or isn’t, BUT if you hire Jony Ive and a bunch of Apple device people in order to build something that is a threat to the “Apple tax” revenue machine, they are coming after you without a doubt.

Re: Apple says more ex-employees may have taken confidential data to OpenAI

#299

Post by mock-possum » Wed, Aug 05, 2026, 9:03 PM UTC

pjmlp wrote: post #276

skeeter2020 wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you mean puzzling look? Why is he wearing 2 shirts? In the 90's we would wear a long sleeve Tee under a band t-shirt, but we didn't wear multiple t-shirts...

I am quite sure long sleeve Tee under a band t-shirt will eventually make a come back, given all the nostalgia wave from Gen Z, experiencing their grandfathers teenage years.

long sleeve layered under a band tee is one of my favorite things actually

Re: Apple says more ex-employees may have taken confidential data to OpenAI

#300

Post by junesix » Wed, Aug 05, 2026, 10:24 PM UTC

ahmadyan wrote: post #246

solfox wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm no OpenAI apologist here, but I appreciate this perspective. Apple definitely played their timing right for maximum pre-IPO damage. It gives them tremendous negotiating leverage on a possible settlement which could give them a chunk of OpenAI.

how? OpenAI did not launch any hardware (yet), and I don't think their IPO pricing hinges on them launching an iPhone competitor. To me, it looks like Apple wants to launch a similar AI hardware and is slowing-down the competition to be the first-to-market. Funny thing: they are barking at the wrong tree here.

The risk is not hardware launch per se. It's the unresolved lawsuit from a powerful company that's hanging over OpenAI and what may be revealed if the case goes to trial and discovery. All that will get priced in by institutional investors. If OpenAI is shopping the IPO, it's likely among the first questions large investors performing due diligence will ask.

The worst scenario is OpenAI tells investors that the risks are low, there's nothing damaging, the costs are immaterial, and tries to push forward. Then the case goes to trial and emails, Slack messages, documents are revealed in discovery that run counter to everything OpenAI told investors. Court issues an injunction, awards damages, OpenAI has to dismiss execs, secondary lawsuits are filed, existing investors release letters they had no idea, underwriter backs out, etc. That outcome could crush an IPO.