Apple entered and OpenAI In one of the most sensitive legal battles in the tech sector, the iPhone maker accused ChatGPT developer OpenAI of stealing trade secrets and confidential information related to unreleased products and technologies. The case didn't stop with OpenAI; it also involved former Apple employees who moved to the AI company. Let's take a quick look at the full details and latest developments in Apple's legal dispute with OpenAI.
How did the case begin?
The dispute stems from a lawsuit filed by Apple in July, targeting OpenAI along with Tang Tan and Zhang Liu. Apple accused them of unlawful conduct in accessing its private information and alleged that OpenAI asked questions about confidential project details during job interviews.
Tan, who became head of hardware at OpenAI after a 24-year career at Apple, including as vice president of design responsible for products such as the iPhone and Apple Watch, was accused of systematically using Apple's confidential information for the benefit of OpenAI.
As for Leo, who worked as a systems engineer in CamelThe company accuses him of not returning his work laptop after switching to OpenAI, and of using it to download confidential technical documents.
The case also involves io Products, a company Tan co-founded with former Apple chief design officer Jony Ive, which was acquired by OpenAI in 2025 for $6.5 billion. However, Ive himself is not listed as a defendant in the lawsuit.
Apple believes that what it has uncovered so far is just the tip of the iceberg (only a small part of the problem has been revealed), because it doesn't have a complete view of what goes on inside OpenAI behind closed doors. OpenAI, for its part, maintains that it has no interest in other companies' secrets and that its focus is on developing innovative technologies that serve users worldwide.
OpenAI denies the allegations
This August, OpenAI entered the fray more explicitly. In a blog post published on August 3rd titled “Apple Is Wrong About This,” the company stated that Apple had failed to raise these allegations when its lawyers contacted the company earlier in the year.
OpenAI went even further, explaining that Apple employees contacted Zhang Liu, a former Apple employee now working at OpenAI, for help accessing certain documents, not the other way around. The company released screenshots of iMessage conversations that it said supported its account.
OpenAI also defended Tang Tan, its head of hardware, who spent 24 years at Apple, asserting that he had been clear with his team about not using any confidential information belonging to other companies.
Apple widens the circle of accusations
The following day, August 4, Apple filed a request to expedite the discovery process in the case, stating that its investigation had revealed the potential involvement of other employees in the disputed events. The company cited more specific examples, including a former employee who met with Liu and another employee prior to her job interview at Apple. OpenAIHe spoke with them about Apple-owned information relating to products that have not yet been announced.
Apple also accused another former employee of taking screenshots of confidential documents related to an unreleased product before an interview at OpenAI. Apple further stated that former employees currently working for ChatGBT developer have contacted them regarding the return of work devices they received from Apple and kept after leaving the company.
Finally, as the two companies prepare for a legal battle that could last for years, the case appears to have transcended a mere corporate dispute. It has become a confrontation over the boundaries of trade secrets, employee transfers, and the information that can accompany them when they move to a competitor at the heart of the AI and hardware race.
Do you think that the transfer of employees from major companies to competitors could threaten their trade secrets? Let us know your opinion in the comments!
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