Archive · 1 Sep 2026
OpenAI Denies Apple's Trade-Secret Claims, Blames Its Procedures
Apple says OpenAI and two former Apple workers took secret information about making products.
OpenAI says Apple has not shown that any secret information was stolen.
Apple says Tang Tan and Chang Liu accessed company files after leaving Apple.
Liu says former Apple workers contacted him for help finding files or answering work questions.
Tan says he returned Apple prototypes and kept only materials he believed were not secret.
OpenAI says Apple’s use of personal iCloud accounts made it hard to separate personal and work files.
OpenAI also says departing workers were escorted away too quickly to return devices or transfer files properly.
OpenAI argues that workers are allowed to leave Apple and join another company.
The lawsuit has worsened relations between Apple and OpenAI as they compete more closely in artificial intelligence.
OpenAI said Apple failed to show that former employees stole confidential information.
Apple sued OpenAI, Tang Tan and Chang Liu in July over alleged trade-secret misuse.
Apple alleges the case involves hardware design, manufacturing and supply-chain information.
OpenAI says Apple is using the lawsuit to slow a potential competitor and discourage employee departures.
Tan and Liu said they retained or accessed materials for non-confidential or work-related reasons, while OpenAI criticized Apple’s file-handling procedures.
- Who
- Apple, OpenAI, former Apple employees Tang Tan and Chang Liu, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
- What
- A trade-secret lawsuit in which Apple accuses OpenAI and two former employees of misappropriating confidential information; OpenAI denies the allegations.
- When
- OpenAI filed its response on Monday; Apple filed the lawsuit in July, with no year specified.
- Where
- The U.S. District Court in San Jose, California.
- Why
- Apple says the defendants used former employees’ access to obtain secrets about hardware design, manufacturing and supply-chain operations. OpenAI says Apple is trying to slow a potential competitor and discourage employee departures.
Apple’s Allegations
OpenAI’s Response
Trade-secret misuse
Apple’s Allegations
Apple alleges that OpenAI and former employees misappropriated trade secrets involving hardware design, manufacturing and supply-chain operations.
OpenAI’s Response
OpenAI says Apple has failed to show that any confidential information was stolen.
Post-employment file access
Apple’s Allegations
Apple says Tan and Liu accessed internal Apple files after leaving the company.
OpenAI’s Response
Liu says former Apple colleagues contacted him for help locating files or answering work-related questions, while Tan says he kept only non-confidential materials.
Hiring Apple employees
Apple’s Allegations
Apple argues that OpenAI’s hiring of its employees was part of a strategy to learn a competitor’s secrets.
OpenAI’s Response
OpenAI says employees can legally leave Apple for another company and accuses Apple of using the case to slow a potential competitor and discourage departures.
Company procedures
Apple’s Allegations
Apple’s claims focus on former employees’ access to internal information after their departures.
OpenAI’s Response
OpenAI says Apple’s personal-iCloud practices and immediate departure procedures made it difficult to return devices, transfer files and separate personal information from company information.
- Plaintiff
- Apple
- Defendants
- OpenAI, Tang Tan and Chang Liu
- Court
- U.S. District Court in San Jose, California
- Alleged trade secrets
- Hardware design, manufacturing and supply-chain operations
- OpenAI hiring claim
- Court filings state that OpenAI hired roughly 400 former Apple employees for its hardware initiative.
- Former employee statements
- Liu said he helped former Apple colleagues with work-related files and questions; Tan said he returned prototypes and retained only non-confidential materials.
- Procedural dispute
- OpenAI said Apple’s use of personal iCloud accounts and immediate escorting of departing employees complicated the return and separation of company information.
- Earlier relationship
- Apple and OpenAI formed a partnership two years before the lawsuit, but tensions increased as artificial-intelligence competition intensified.
