When Apple employees interviewed for jobs at OpenAI, the AI startup’s hardware head allegedly asked them to show up with something unusual: components they were working on and unreleased product samples. That’s according to a blockbuster lawsuit filed by Apple, which accuses OpenAI of stealing confidential documents, spying on hardware prototypes, and tricking one of its trusted partners into performing a proprietary product design technique.
Technology
Hyundai to send 25,000 Atlas robots to the US
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Hyundai wants to bring humanoid robots into American car factories in a big way. The company is looking at a future where Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robots work alongside people inside U.S. auto plants.
These human-shaped machines can bend, lift, balance and move through spaces built for workers. That could change how cars get made. It could also raise new questions about factory jobs, safety and how much automation consumers are willing to accept.
Here’s what Hyundai is planning and why Atlas could become one of the most closely watched robots in American manufacturing.
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BMW PUTS HUMANOID ROBOTS TO WORK BUILDING EVS
Hyundai Motor Group plans to bring Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid robots into U.S. auto factories as early as 2028. (Hyundai)
Hyundai Atlas robots are headed to U.S. factories
Hyundai Motor Group reportedly outlined plans to deploy more than 25,000 Atlas robots developed by Boston Dynamics across Hyundai Motor and Kia manufacturing facilities. The plan appeared in investor relations materials tied to a JPMorgan Chase-hosted session.
The company also plans to build annual production capacity for 30,000 Atlas robots by 2028. Hyundai has not released a detailed public schedule for every plant. However, Kia CEO Song Ho-sung said the robots are expected to begin work in 2028 at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in Georgia. Kia’s Georgia plant would follow in 2029.
Why Hyundai wants Atlas humanoid robots
Hyundai faces the same pressures as other automakers. It needs faster production, flexible factories and better ways to handle labor shortages. Humanoid robots may help because they can work in areas designed for people. That can reduce the need to rebuild a factory from scratch.
Atlas could also help with physically demanding jobs. Lifting, carrying and moving awkward objects can wear down workers over time. If robots take on some of that work, factories could become safer. Still, this technology will need careful oversight. A humanoid robot working near people must move predictably and stop safely when something goes wrong.
INDUSTRIAL EXOSKELETONS HELP WORKERS DO MORE WITH LESS STRAIN
Hyundai’s robot rollout could reshape auto manufacturing while raising questions about jobs, safety and automation. (Hyundai)
How Boston Dynamics trained Atlas to lift
Boston Dynamics recently showed Atlas handling a heavy object in a new technical demo. The robot squatted down, picked up a mini-fridge, rotated its torso and carried the object while keeping its balance. The company says Atlas learned this behavior through reinforcement learning and simulation training. In simple terms, the robot practiced in a computer world before testing the skill in real life.
Engineers changed the object’s weight, floor friction, grip force and placement during training. That helped Atlas learn how to adapt when conditions changed. That is important because factory work rarely happens in perfect conditions. Parts shift. Floors vary. Workers move around. Loads can feel different from one moment to the next. Atlas needs to react in real time, not freeze when a task changes.
What makes Atlas different from older robots
Many robots rely heavily on cameras. Atlas also uses proprioception, which means internal body awareness. That may sound technical, but the idea is easy to understand. When you carry a grocery bag and the weight shifts, you feel it. Your body adjusts before you think about it.
Atlas uses sensors and software to do something similar. It monitors balance, grip pressure, resistance and body movement as it works. Boston Dynamics says the new Atlas platform also helps reduce the gap between simulation and real-world movement. The robot uses a simplified hardware design, symmetrical limbs and only two actuator types.
Actuators are the robot’s joints and muscles. Hyundai reportedly plans to make more than 300,000 actuator units each year at U.S. facilities. That shows Hyundai wants control over the parts that make humanoid robots move.
Hyundai Atlas robots raise job questions
The biggest concern is obvious. What happens to workers when thousands of humanoid robots enter factories? Companies often say robots will take on dull, dirty or dangerous tasks. That may be true in many cases. However, workers will still want clear answers about training, staffing and job security.
The rollout could create new roles in robotics maintenance, safety monitoring and factory software. It could also reduce the need for some physically demanding jobs over time. That trade-off will follow Hyundai’s robot plan closely. The company will need to show that Atlas improves factory safety and productivity without pushing workers aside without support. For now, Hyundai has not provided enough public detail to answer those workforce questions fully.
HUMANOID ROBOTS HANDLE QUALITY CHECKS AND ASSEMBLY AT AUTO PLANT
Hyundai reportedly plans to deploy more than 25,000 Atlas robots across Hyundai and Kia manufacturing facilities. (Hyundai)
What this means to you
This story may sound like it only affects autoworkers or car companies. But it could eventually touch anyone who buys a car. If humanoid robots help factories move faster, automakers may adjust production more quickly when demand changes. That could affect wait times for popular models.
Robot-assisted manufacturing could also influence vehicle costs. Automation can lower some production expenses, although savings do not always reach buyers right away. The bigger shift may be trust. Consumers may soon ask how much of their vehicle was built by humans and how much was handled by robots. That does not automatically make the car better or worse. But it does change the story behind how that car reached your driveway.
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Kurt’s key takeaways
Hyundai’s plan to deploy more than 25,000 Atlas humanoid robots in the U.S. marks a major shift for auto manufacturing. This is one of the clearest signs yet that humanoid robots are moving from demos into real industrial work. The Georgia rollout will be especially important. If Atlas performs well at Hyundai and Kia facilities, other automakers may feel pressure to speed up their own robotics plans. Still, the hard part starts on the factory floor. Atlas must work safely around people, handle unpredictable tasks and prove it can do more than impress in videos. The technology is exciting. The job questions are real. Hyundai now has to prove that both can be managed responsibly.
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Would you feel better buying a car built with help from humanoid robots, or would you wonder who got pushed off the factory floor? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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Microsoft is testing a cleaner version of the Windows 11 search menu that strips it of recommended content and ads. In a blog post on Monday, Microsoft announced that it’s rolling out the decluttered Search Box to Windows Insiders in the Experimental channel as the company looks to regain trust with users and fix Windows.
One of the biggest changes is a revamped search homescreen that displays only your recent searches. Currently, when you open the search menu, it shows your recent searches alongside several distracting tiles on the right pane, containing things like the image of the day, daily quizzes, trending searches, and game recommendations.
Microsoft is cleaning up web results, too, as the search menu will surface the “most relevant answer” first, rather than showing “related products and promotions.”
Aside from doing some decluttering, Microsoft is testing other notable improvements to its search menu. It will more clearly show metadata, along with a preview of the file in the pane on the right side of the search menu, making it easier to figure out where the result came from. The Windows 11 search system will also prioritize results from your local files, apps, and settings, which will “more reliably appear” ahead of web and Microsoft Store recommendations. Testers can now turn off web and Store recommendations entirely from the Settings menu.
There are a few quality-of-life updates, too, as Microsoft says the search system it’s piloting can better handle typos, extra letters, and partial words, while offering some performance improvements.
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Your data broker profile can expose more than most of us realize. It may include your current address, old addresses, relatives, phone numbers and public records that were never tied to a phishing link or hacked password. That is what makes this so frustrating. Strong passwords, two-factor authentication and smart online habits all help protect your accounts. However, they do not stop data brokers from collecting public records and commercial sign-up data.
Those details can then show up on people-search sites. Even worse, scammers can use them to make a fake call, text or email sound personal and believable. Here is where data broker profiles get their information, why careful online behavior alone falls short and what steps can help reduce what strangers can find about you.
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FAKE VA SHOE OFFER TARGETS VETERANS
Strong passwords protect your accounts, but they do not stop data brokers from collecting public records and selling personal information to people-search sites. (Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Where data broker profiles get your information
Most people assume data brokers get information the same way hackers do, through breaches, weak passwords or phishing links. That can happen. However, a lot of personal information comes from public records and commercial lists.
Data brokers can build profiles from records that may exist even when someone barely uses the internet, including:
- Property deeds and real estate filings
- Voter registration rolls
- Civil and criminal court filings
- Marriage and divorce records
- Bankruptcy filings
- Business registration filings
- Professional license databases
In many U.S. states, these records are public under state or local rules. Data brokers do not need to hack anything to collect them. They can buy, scrape or license the information on an ongoing basis. A home purchase, marriage, divorce or voter registration can create a public record. That record may include a name and address. Once filed, it can become raw material for a data broker profile.
How everyday sign-ups feed data broker profiles
Government records are only one part of the problem. Everyday consumer activity can also feed data broker databases, including:
- Loyalty program sign-ups
- Warranty registrations
- Magazine subscriptions
- Contest and sweepstakes entries
- Real estate transaction data
Commercial aggregators can combine those details with public records to build an enriched consumer profile. Registering the warranty on a dishwasher does not make anyone reckless. Entering a magazine sweepstakes does not make anyone careless. However, both can put personal information into a pipeline built to package and resell it.
How data broker lists can fuel real-world scams
This can sound abstract until a list gets used against real people.
Data broker InfoUSA reportedly sold a list of 19,000 verified elderly sweepstakes players to experienced scam artists. The scammers stole more than $100 million by calling people on the list and pretending to be government or insurance workers. Then they claimed they needed bank account information.
Another case shows the same risk on a larger scale. The Justice Department said Epsilon Data Management sold consumer data to fraud schemes and agreed to pay $150 million to resolve a criminal charge tied to elder fraud. DOJ later said two former Epsilon employees were sentenced after evidence showed they sold targeted lists to a fraudster client who used the data to defraud more than 218,000 victims out of more than $23.7 million.
That should stop you cold. The victims did ordinary things. Their names ended up in marketing databases and lead lists they may never have known existed. Then scammers used those lists to make fraud more targeted, more personal and much harder to spot.
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Run a free scan to see where your information is showing up online-results usually land within an hour. Run your free exposure scan. Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com
SELLING YOUR HOME THIS SUMMER? YOUR DATA IS ALREADY MOVING
Your address, phone number and relatives may already appear in data broker profiles built from public records and everyday consumer sign-ups. (Ute Grabowsky/Photothek via Getty Images)
Why good online habits do not erase public records
This is the part that can catch a lot of you off guard, especially if you are already careful online. You may skip loyalty cards, avoid sweepstakes and toss warranty cards straight into the trash.
Even so, your information can still show up online because some details come from public records. Property records, vehicle registrations, voter rolls, professional licenses and court filings can all leave a trail with your name attached. In some cases, your profile may also connect you to relatives through someone else’s record.
That means online safety only solves part of the problem. Strong passwords, a password manager and two-factor authentication (2FA) help protect your accounts. However, they do not remove public records that data brokers collect, package and resell.
5 ways to protect your data broker profile now
A few smart moves can help reduce what is already exposed and limit how much new information flows into data broker databases.
1) Search your name on people-search sites
Start by checking what is already public. Search your name on sites like Spokeo, Whitepages and BeenVerified. Look for your address, phone number, relatives and previous locations. This gives you a clearer sense of what scammers, strangers or aggressive marketers may already be able to find.
2) Replace easy-to-guess security answers
If a bank, email account or financial app asks for your mother’s maiden name, birth city, first school or old street name, assume that answer may already appear in a data broker profile. Replace it with a made-up answer and store it in a password manager. The answer does not have to be true. It just has to be consistent and hard for someone else to guess.
3) Limit what you give away going forward
Be more selective with loyalty programs, warranty cards, sweepstakes and online forms. Use only the required fields when possible. Consider using a separate or alias email address for sign-ups, and avoid handing over your phone number unless it is truly needed. Small choices like this can reduce the amount of new data flowing into broker databases.
4) Talk to older relatives before a scammer does
Older relatives are often the final target, reached through a profile built from public records, family connections or past sign-ups. Set a family code word for emergency calls or texts. If someone claims there is an accident, arrest, hospital bill or urgent money problem, the code word gives your family a fast way to know whether the call is real.
5) Use a data removal service for ongoing cleanup
A data removal service can help remove your personal information from data broker and people-search sites without forcing you to chase every listing yourself. These services contact data brokers on your behalf, request removal of your information and keep checking when your data reappears.
That ongoing follow-up is important because data broker profiles can come back when databases refresh or when your information gets pulled from another source. Look for a service that covers hundreds of data broker and people-search sites, offers recurring removals and lets you request cleanup from specific sites where your personal information appears.
I also recommend considering coverage for your whole household. Family members can be linked together in data broker profiles, so removing only one person’s information may leave other exposed details behind. A family plan can help protect addresses, relatives, phone numbers and other personal information across everyone in your home.
Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com
FTC CHIEF ACCUSES DEMOCRATS OF ‘TRYING TO PROTECT THE FRAUDSTERS’ BY WITHHOLDING DATA FROM TRUMP ADMIN
Data brokers compile personal information from public records, loyalty programs and commercial databases, making scams more convincing and harder to detect. (Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Kurt’s key takeaways
What concerns me most about data broker profiles is how little of this comes from a mistake you made online. You can use strong passwords, avoid phishing emails and turn on two-factor authentication, yet your address, old addresses and family connections may still appear on people-search sites. That gives scammers a head start. A fake call or text sounds more believable when it includes real details about you or someone you love. The best move is to treat data broker cleanup as part of your regular privacy routine. Search your own name, change easy-to-guess security answers, limit what you share on forms and consider using a data removal service that keeps checking when your information comes back.
What personal detail would worry you most if it showed up on a people-search site: your address, phone number, relatives or something else? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com
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The lawsuit primarily revolves around the alleged actions of three people:
- Tang Tan, a 24-year Apple veteran who recently served as the vice president of the Apple Watch. In 2024, Tan left to work on Jony Ive’s hardware company, io, which was acquired by OpenAI last year. OpenAI then appointed Tan as chief hardware officer.
- Chang Liu: A former Apple employee who worked as a systems electrical engineer on the iPhone for over eight years. Liu joined OpenAI in January 2026 as a member of technical staff.
- Yu-Ting “Alyssa” Peng: A former Apple employee who joined OpenAI in April 2026.
They’re accused of being part of an ongoing scheme to steal Apple’s secrets as OpenAI plans its first AI hardware device, which is supposed to be coming next year.
Here are the most surprising claims in Apple’s 41-page filing.
Liu allegedly kept an Apple-owned computer, allowing him to download dozens of confidential files
After announcing plans to leave Apple, Liu allegedly didn’t respond to requests to sign a confidentiality reminder, schedule an exit interview, or confirm that he returned company-owned devices, as is standard with departures at Apple. Instead, Apple claims Liu “failed to return at least one Apple-owned computer,” and told another employee, Peng, that he still has “another computer.”
Liu also allegedly accessed Apple’s cloud-based network storage weeks after he left the company, using an authentication vulnerability that Apple didn’t know about. “Mr. Liu celebrated his find with Ms. Peng and set about exploiting it: ‘LOL, I found out I can access the
[network storage], so funny,’” Apple claims. “Ms. Peng’s response was immediate: “‘I’m ready.’”
Apple accuses Liu of downloading dozens of confidential files from its storage system, including documents containing technical specifications, details about unreleased products, and engineering presentations, including one detailing the manufacturing and testing of Apple’s main logic boards.
Peng is accused of siphoning confidential Apple information to Liu
In the months following Liu’s departure, Peng allegedly kept Liu in the loop about Apple’s projects, engineering details, and vendor relationships. “Ms. Peng and Mr. Liu would engage in depth about those confidential projects, while Mr. Liu was working on developing OpenAI’s competing hardware,” Apple claims. “Mr. Liu’s work for OpenAI was informed by a steadily flowing stream of Apple’s trade secret information from Ms. Peng.”
Apple also claims that Liu informed Peng on how to access and copy files from Apple’s devices “to avoid trouble with the security team,” while pointing her to “specific Apple project folders and proprietary engineering data.” Peng departed Apple for OpenAI in April 2026.
OpenAI’s hardware head allegedly digs for confidential Apple projects during interviews
Tan is accused of soliciting Apple’s trade secrets during interviews with OpenAI job candidates — and quizzing them on it. Apple claims Liu told Peng about how another former Apple employee “fumbled” his answers to a question Tan asked about “a top-secret project for an unreleased new Apple product.” Liu then allegedly downloaded “some info” using his access to Apple’s network to help Peng prepare for her interview.
In another instance, Apple claims another former employee began “screenshotting and downloading files relating to a highly confidential Apple project” before an interview with OpenAI. Tan is accused of asking for more information about that same project during the interview. Last year, Tan admitted to receiving confidential information about an AI hardware startup before joining Ive’s io.
Tan asks former Apple employees to share parts and product samples for “show and tell”
Aside from asking for more information about Apple’s secret projects, Tan is accused of telling interviewees to bring hardware components and product samples from their work at Apple for “show and tell sessions:”
For example, messages left on an Apple-issued work device show that Mr. Tan instructed an Apple employee to “bring some parts [she] worked on” such as “Batteries,” “SIP” (Systems-in-Package), “mlb” (multi-layer or main logic boards), and “shields” and that it may “be good to show” other interviewers these Apple components.
Additionally, OpenAI is accused of asking interviewees to prepare “Technical Deep Dive” presentations, with slides revealing confidential information from their work at Apple.
OpenAI allegedly “coached” Apple employees on how to bypass security measures
Apple claims Tan kept an internal document that outlines employee offboarding procedures. OpenAI allegedly used this information to warn employees coming from Apple about the company’s security checks, and “coached” them on how to avoid it.
The AI giant also advised departing Apple workers not to disclose their new employer, and also offered tips on how to avoid a “dreaded walk out,” which would result in their immediate removal from the company, preventing them from accessing Apple’s systems for a standard two weeks, the lawsuit alleges. OpenAI is accused of telling Apple employees not to “sign anything at the exit interview,” and if they’re asked to sign a document, to tell OpenAI “asap.”
In the lawsuit, Apple says that OpenAI’s alleged tactics “appear to be having their desired effect.” Apple claims it has noticed “a recent trend of employees who are leaving Apple for OpenAI and taking steps to evade security measures,” including workers “ignoring outreach by security personnel to schedule exit processes and security reviews.”
Apple accuses OpenAI of stealing its metal-finishing technique
Apple claims OpenAI has used its confidential information to approach its “trusted partners,” including one that carries out a proprietary, multi-step metal-finishing technique for its products. OpenAI allegedly misled Apple’s partner, making the company believe that OpenAI had Apple’s permission to use the metal-finishing technique. “Apple has not given OpenAI or io permission to use or a license to any of Apple’s trade secrets or confidential information, including those it has entrusted with this partner,” Apple says.
Apple also accuses OpenAI of approaching “at least” one other supplier that works with Apple on manufacturing related to power and batteries. OpenAI allegedly used confidential information and internal codenames to ask “targeted questions” about Apple’s components “that would be useful in furthering OpenAI’s hardware ambitions.”
OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri provided this statement to The Verge on Friday: “We have no interest in other companies’ trade secrets. We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere.”
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