Judge signals he will likely grant Apple an injunction as OpenAI agrees not to use disputed trade secrets

The commitment came at a federal court hearing on Wednesday. Apple claims employees who left for OpenAI took trade secrets with them, and OpenAI agreed not to use that material while the case proceeds. Bloomberg reports the judge said he was highly likely to side with Apple and issue an injunction. According to a roundup of Bloomberg's coverage by The Neuron, OpenAI denies Apple's allegations. It has separately accused a former employee who returned to Apple of sending confidential OpenAI material to personal accounts. The hearing follows an OpenAI court filing saying that an ex-employee sent Apple leadership a presentation on its unreleased device plans. The dispute centers on OpenAI's unreleased device plans. For founders, the practical lesson is about hiring and offboarding hygiene: a court willing to restrict a well-funded company shows how seriously trade-secret claims are taken, and early-stage teams recruiting from big tech should audit what new hires bring with them.