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A new job is your chance to put what you know to work. Just be sure not to share what belongs to your current or former employer.Apple's lawsuit against OpenAI serves as a fresh reminder of the risks involved in drawing on your expertise without crossing into protected territory.Filed on Friday, the lawsuit alleges that OpenAI sought confidential details from Apple engineers during job interviews and that one former employee continued accessing sensitive material after joining OpenAI. Two former Apple employees were named as individual defendants alongside OpenAI, which previously told Business Insider it has no interest in other companies' trade secrets. The named employees and representatives for Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.While the allegations have yet to be tested in court, the case raises broader questions about how workers can change jobs without sharing a former employer's trade secrets. Legal experts say sharing this information can expose both the worker and the new company to lawsuits, substantial legal bills, and reputational damage."Whether you intend to or not, it can open up a huge can of worms," said Joseph H. Harris, a partner at employment law firm FordHarrison.Such disputes are not unusual, and employers may deliberately recruit workers to gain access to a competitor's confidential knowledge, said Betsy Bulat, an equity partner with the employment law firm Martenson, Hasbrouck, Simon, and Bulat LLP."There are some unscrupulous employers that probably do hire people just for the sole purpose of getting a competitor's information," Bulat said, speaking generally.
