Apple’s trade-secrets lawsuit against OpenAI has drove plenty of discussion, but one detail has stood out more than most. Although the Cupertino-based tech giant accused former Apple executive Tang Tan and others of allegedly misusing confidential information, the complaint makes no mention of Jony Ive, the legendary designer behind the iPhone, iPad and iPod, who now plays a key creative role in OpenAI’s hardware plans. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, that omission appears to have been a deliberate decision rather than an oversight. Here’s everything you need to know about why Apple’s lawsuit leaves out one of its most iconic former executives.
Apple Reportedly Found No Evidence Linking Ive To The Alleged Misconduct
As per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the most direct explanation is that Ive was not directly involved in the actions described in the lawsuit.
While the former Apple design chief founded io Products, the hardware startup acquired by OpenAI for $6.5 billion, the report says he was not responsible for day-to-day engineering, hiring or recruitment. Those responsibilities reportedly fell to Tang Tan, OpenAI’s chief hardware officer and a former Apple executive.
Apple’s complaint alleges that Tan and others encouraged recruits to avoid company exit-security procedures and even requested parts and prototypes during interviews. However, Bloomberg reports that Apple appears to have found no evidence connecting Ive to those activities, making it difficult to include him in the legal complaint.
Personal Relationships May Have Also Played A Role
The report suggests another factor may have influenced the iPhone maker’s decision: Jony Ive’s long-standing relationship with Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
As per the report, Powell Jobs was an investor in io Products and remains a supporter of LoveFrom, Ive’s design firm. She also continues to have a pretty big influence within Apple, maintaining close ties with CEO Tim Cook and senior leadership.
The report argues that naming Ive in the lawsuit could have created unnecessary reputational fallout while generating sympathy for one of Apple’s most recognisable former executives. It also could have shifted attention away from the trade-secret allegations themselves.
That said, the story may not end there. Bloomberg notes that if the lawsuit moves into the discovery phase, OpenAI could still call Ive as a witness because of his role in founding io Products and overseeing its hardware programme.
