Archive · 5 Aug 2026
OpenAI Refutes Apple's Trade Secrets Suit, Releases Chats and Emails
Apple makes iPhones, and OpenAI makes ChatGPT.
Two people who used to work at Apple now work at OpenAI.
Apple says those two people took secret information about Apple's products with them.
Apple took them and OpenAI to court over this.
OpenAI says that is not true.
To show people the truth, OpenAI shared text messages and emails.
The messages show Apple workers asking one of the former employees for help finding files after he had left.
OpenAI says Apple's lawyers even emailed the wrong person by mistake.
OpenAI says Apple kept quiet for five months and then suddenly filed a lawsuit.
A judge will now have to decide what really happened.
OpenAI published a rebuttal blog post titled 'Apple is getting this wrong' in response to Apple's trade secrets lawsuit.
Apple sued OpenAI and former employees Chang Liu and Tang Tan after they joined OpenAI's hardware division, alleging they took confidential information.
OpenAI released iMessage and email exchanges suggesting Apple staff initiated contact with Liu asking for help locating files after he left.
OpenAI says Apple's outside counsel mistakenly emailed the wrong person and falsely claimed a phone conversation with OpenAI's general counsel.
Apple has asked a US judge for a preliminary injunction barring OpenAI and the two former employees from using alleged confidential information.
- Who
- OpenAI and Apple, along with former Apple employees Chang Liu and Tang Tan, who now work at OpenAI.
- What
- Apple sued OpenAI and two former employees alleging theft of confidential product and hardware information; OpenAI responded by publishing chats and emails rejecting the claims.
- When
- Apple filed its lawsuit last month; OpenAI published its rebuttal on Tuesday; the released messages date from January through March 2026.
- Where
- The dispute is being handled in US courts, where Apple has asked a judge for a preliminary injunction.
- Why
- Apple says the former executives took confidential information relevant to OpenAI's consumer hardware ambitions; OpenAI denies using any Apple trade secrets.
Apple's Position
OpenAI's Position
Trade secret theft
Apple's Position
Apple alleges that Tang Tan and Chang Liu took confidential product development and hardware engineering information to benefit OpenAI.
OpenAI's Position
OpenAI says it neither possesses nor wants Apple's trade secrets and that its focus is on building its own products and technologies.
Contact after departure
Apple's Position
Apple alleges Liu improperly accessed confidential company information after leaving Apple.
OpenAI's Position
OpenAI published messages showing Apple employees initiated contact with Liu to ask for help locating files, and says Apple failed to properly revoke system access for departing staff.
Pre-litigation communication
Apple's Position
Apple says it first contacted OpenAI in February and received no response before filing suit.
OpenAI's Position
OpenAI says Apple withdrew that claim after its outside counsel emailed the wrong person, falsely claimed a phone conversation with OpenAI's general counsel, and then stayed silent for five months.
- Dispute
- Trade secrets lawsuit between Apple and OpenAI, Tang Tan, and Chang Liu
- OpenAI response
- Blog post titled 'Apple is getting this wrong'
- Legal action
- Apple asked a US judge for a preliminary injunction blocking access, use, and disclosure of alleged confidential information
- Chang Liu departure
- Left Apple in January 2026; released iMessage exchanges run from January to March 2026
- Email mix-up
- Emails dated February 23-25, 2026, show Apple's outside counsel mistakenly emailed the wrong recipient
- Tang Tan career
- 24-year Apple veteran described as one of the company's most innovative leaders
- Context
- OpenAI acquired io, the AI hardware startup co-founded by Jony Ive, for nearly $6.5 billion
- OpenAI stance
- Says it does not possess or want Apple's trade secrets
