Oh dear, did someone steal something from Apple?
PA Images via Reuters Connect Cue the tiny violins; someone may have stolen something from Apple . It's a sorry tale, but one the tech giant knows very well. Maybe too well. Apple's blockbuster lawsuit against OpenAI accuses the ChatGPT maker of orchestrating a campaign to recruit Apple engineers, extract confidential information , and use the company's trade secrets to jump-start its own hardware ambitions. The allegations are striking. They're also familiar. Over the years, Apple has itself faced lawsuits from companies accusing it of using remarkably similar tactics: recruiting away key employees and then using their knowledge to build competing products. Masimo's complaint One of the most significant cases came from the medical device maker Masimo . In a lawsuit filed in 2020, Masimo alleged that Apple first explored a partnership before hiring away several of its top executives and engineers, including experts in pulse oximetry technology. Masimo said Apple used confidential know-how gained through those hires to develop the blood oxygen sensor in the Apple Watch. Apple denied stealing trade secrets, arguing it simply hired talented people and developed its technology independently. The dispute ultimately expanded into multiple trade-secret and patent cases, as well as an International Trade Commission investigation. A separate patent infringement allegation by Masimo against Apple led to an Apple Watch import ban in 2023. In 2025, a federal jury ruled that Apple had infringed Masimo patents and ordered the tech giant to pay $634 million. The ban was overturned. The A123 case Years earlier, battery maker A123 Systems made similar accusations. A123 alleged that Apple systematically recruited members of its advanced battery team, including its former chief technology officer, and benefited from confidential battery research. Apple denied wrongdoing, and the case settled before reaching trial. Neither case produced a definitive judicial finding that Apple stole an