AI: OpenAI Takes Its Fight With Apple Public

OpenAI has published emails and messages from former Apple employees to contest a secret trade secrets lawsuit filed in July 2026. Sam Altman’s company accuses the California group of presenting inaccurate facts before taking legal action.

OpenAI turns a legal procedure into a public battle

The dispute concerns OpenAI’s hardware strategy, which accelerated after the 2025 acquisition of Jony Ive’s startup. This offensive is part of the race for artificial intelligence and now drives the company to publicly defend its recruitment and data protection methods.

In a post published by OpenAI, the company accuses Apple of confusing two employees with similar names. It also reproaches Apple for wrongly claiming that its teams did not respond to solicitations and that Apple’s lawyers chatted with Che Chang, OpenAI’s legal director, before the complaint was filed.

OpenAI supports this response with emails, text messages, and a detailed argument. Publishing these elements shifts the debate outside the courtroom, while both groups already compete for a place in future AI-equipped consumer devices.

“Apple is among the greatest companies of all time and has built a reputation for obsessive attention to the smallest details. This negligent, aggressive, and strangely personal lawsuit unfortunately does not match that reputation,” OpenAI writes in its response.

Apple accuses two former employees of retaining sensitive information

Apple accuses OpenAI, former engineer Chang Liu, ex-design lead Tang Tan, and io Products of using trade secrets related to its equipment. The lawsuit links these allegations to the development of OpenAI’s hardware products following the 2025 acquisition of Jony Ive’s startup.

Apple claims Chang Liu kept a work computer after leaving. The company also accuses him of exploiting an authentication flaw to access internal systems and download confidential engineering documents.

The lawsuit also targets Tang Tan. Apple alleges the former executive used confidential information to serve OpenAI’s hardware projects. It further suggests that the company’s recruitment process may have encouraged candidates to bring sensitive documents.

In Decrypt’s article on Apple’s lawsuit, OpenAI disputes each of these claims. The company notably states Apple contacted the wrong person after mixing up two employees with similar names. This mistake, according to OpenAI, undermines the group’s interpretation of exchanges between former employees and the company.

iMessage messages at the heart of OpenAI’s defense

OpenAI published exchanges between Chang Liu and Apple employees after his departure in January. These conversations show, according to the company, that employees asked him to find files, transfer documents, or answer technical questions.

OpenAI relies on these requests to support a specific thesis. Apple employees allegedly continued to rely on Liu’s access, while still-active accesses resulted from the offboarding process set by Apple, not a deliberate intention to retain confidential information.

The company distinguishes Tang Tan’s case. It states it repeatedly reminded the former executive not to bring or use confidential data from his previous employer. OpenAI therefore deems Apple’s preliminary injunction request unnecessary, as this measure could limit its activities during the procedure.

“Apple’s preliminary injunction request is based on false information and remains completely unnecessary because we do not hold any of their trade secrets and do not want any,” OpenAI writes. 

We are more interested in creating innovative products and technologies that push boundaries.

In summary, OpenAI tries to take the initiative through three levers: publishing private messages, contesting factual mistakes, and defending its hardware project. Apple will now have to respond in court, while the battle fits into AI-related transformations that are already reshaping the tech industry. The procedure is only beginning.