xAI files lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing competitor of poaching employees and stealing trade secrets

xAI, a company founded by Elon Musk, filed a lawsuit in federal court in California against OpenAI, accusing it of illegally obtaining trade secrets. According to the plaintiff, OpenAI engages in targeted hiring of former competitor employees to gain access to confidential information about the development of the Grok chatbot and related technologies.

The lawsuit materials state that the data in question concerns code, business plans, and data center optimization methods. xAI claims this information is protected by confidentiality agreements, but employees allegedly transferred it when moving to a new employer.

Special attention is given to the case of former engineer Xuechen Li, accused of transferring materials to OpenAI. It is also reported that engineer Jimmy Freytur and an unnamed top manager of the financial division moved to the competitor. Li had not commented at the time of publication.

In addition to the lawsuit against OpenAI, xAI filed a complaint against Apple, accusing the corporation of colluding with OpenAI to limit competition in the artificial intelligence market. Apple and OpenAI have not yet made official statements regarding these claims.

The situation unfolds against the backdrop of a series of legal disputes between Musk and OpenAI. Previously, the billionaire had already filed a lawsuit accusing the company of abandoning its original mission and excessive commercialization. In response, OpenAI filed counterclaims against Musk, including accusations of harassment and unfair practices.