The ongoing clash between Apple and OpenAI, centered around accusations of trade secret theft, shows no signs of abating. A number of ex-Apple staffers have come forward, disclosing that even after their departure from the company, they retained access to sensitive shared documents from their tenure, including product launch blueprints, and continued to receive alerts about file modifications. This loophole stems from Apple's longstanding practice of encouraging employees to connect their personal Apple IDs with the company's iCloud service. Consequently, documents not housed in Apple's centrally managed 'Work' folder remained accessible post-employment. Furthermore, prior to 2019, Apple's heavy reliance on iMessage meant that former employees could hold onto pertinent chat histories and attachments. Simultaneously, lax exit procedures for regular staff also heightened the likelihood of data retention.