Chang Liu Files Declaration in Apple Inc. v. Liu Regarding Device Wiping and AI Experiments
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A redacted court declaration filed by former Apple engineer Chang Liu addresses allegations of evidence destruction and the use of proprietary files after his move to OpenAI.
Legal filings in the Northern District of California have revealed new details in the ongoing litigation between Apple Inc. and its former employee, Chang Liu. In a redacted declaration filed on September 24, 2026, Liu responded to Apple's allegations concerning the deletion of data from company hardware and his interactions with former colleagues after joining OpenAI. The document, first reported by CourtListener, was submitted in support of objections raised by defendants including Liu, the OpenAI Foundation, and OpenAI Group PBC. The filing specifically addresses evidence presented by Apple in its motion for a preliminary injunction. ## The iMac Reset A central point of the declaration involves a text message Liu sent to a former colleague on March 12, 2026. In the message, Liu stated he had "finally wiped" his old iMac. Apple has characterized this as an attempt to remove a "forensic trail" from the device. Liu claims he migrated personal files to a new Mac Mini on March 11, 2026, before attempting to restore the iMac to factory settings. He stated this was standard procedure at Apple so the hardware could be reused by other employees. He denied restoring the device to destroy evidence, noting he has never shared Apple trade secrets for his work at OpenAI. ## Personal AI Experiments The declaration also clarifies the context of text messages from March 18, 2026. These messages discussed experiments Liu was running with Artificial Intelligence. Liu claims these tests were conducted in his personal capacity to satisfy curiosity about AI's ability to perform engineering tasks. He argued the findings were shared with former colleagues because they were a demonstration of the technology's capability, not because of any relevance to Apple's internal projects. He stated these experiments didn't support his official work for OpenAI. ## Accessing Proprietary Files Apple's evidence, including a declaration from Daniel Roffman, highlighted Liu opening a specific file on his personal computer after leaving the company. Liu admitted to opening the file in a program called LTspice on March 18, 2026. He stated he did this to assist an Apple employee, Alyssa Peng, who had asked a question about her work. According to the filing, Liu used the file to confirm it would generate a usable result for Peng. He claimed he didn't use the file for any purpose other than helping Apple employees with their ongoing tasks at the company. ## Recruitment and Chip Procurement The filing addresses interactions with other individuals, including Tang Yew Tan and various Apple staff. Liu stated he was tasked with shopping for chips for his work at OpenAI and reached out to a contact he made while at Apple. He claimed the chips discussed were "off-the-shelf" and not customized for any specific user. Liu also detailed a March 4 phone call with an Apple employee who asked for advice on improving performance. Liu claimed he directed the employee to public source videos and did not follow up on discussions regarding simulations. The case, Apple Inc. v. Liu, continues in the San Jose Division of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California under Case No. 5:26-cv-07078-EJD.