The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday edition that Apple on Friday sued OpenAI and two former employees, alleging misappropriation of its trade secrets to benefit the ChatGPT-owner's foray into consumer hardware. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe says the lawsuit is a dramatic escalation of already simmering tension between the two companies. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges a co-ordinated effort to steal Apple's confidential information, including product designs, manufacturing processes and supply chain strategies. The lawsuit was filed against Chang Liu, a former senior system electrical engineer, and former vice-president of product design for iPhone and Apple Watch, Tang Yew Tan, as well as OpenAI Foundation, OpenAI Group PBC and io Products. Apple alleges Mr. Liu failed to return a company-issued work laptop and later used an authentication bug to access Apple's internal network, downloading "dozens of Apple's confidential hardware-related files." The iPhone maker also claimed that OpenAI's hardware chief Mr. Tan had been "methodically using Apple's confidential information to benefit OpenAI" by e-mailing himself information about Apple suppliers.