Apple has told a court that its internal investigation has identified 11 further former employees who may have witnessed or been involved in the alleged sharing of trade secrets with OpenAI, expanding a lawsuit that already names two ex-staff members. The tech giant is seeking a preliminary injunction to halt OpenAI's development of any devices suspected of drawing on Apple's proprietary technology, and has requested expedited discovery, suggesting it believes it has fresh evidence of wrongdoing.

According to the court filing, one former employee is said to have discussed unannounced Apple product information with Chang Liu, a former senior system electrical engineer, ahead of his OpenAI interview, while another allegedly took screenshots of confidential documents before their own interview. Apple also says several former staff now at OpenAI have been in contact about returning company-issued devices they retained. OpenAI has dismissed the injunction request as based on "false information" and unnecessary, pointing to text messages it says show Apple contacting Liu after he left, and accusing Apple of poor system-access management. The case also names io Products, the startup founded by former Apple designer Jony Ive that OpenAI bought for $6.5 billion, amid speculation OpenAI is developing an AI-enabled smart speaker.