OpenAI has released an official statement addressing a high-profile lawsuit from Apple. The iPhone maker accuses the AI developer of corporate trade secret theft. The response is available below.
OpenAI Denies Apple Corporate Espionage Claims
Earlier today, Apple filed a lawsuit against former employees Chang Liu and Tang Tan – as well as OpenAI and io Products. The suit alleges contract breach and trade secret misappropriation.
Apple accuses its ex-employees of stealing confidential hardware data. This information was allegedly used to advance OpenAI’s nascent consumer hardware projects.
The tech giant describes a systematic theft of secrets by OpenAI workers who previously held roles at Apple. It added that such misconduct is normalized by leadership.
Apple claims that beyond unauthorized system access, the defendants induced job candidates to perform several actions:
- Bring proprietary Apple prototypes and components to interviews
- Disclose details about unreleased products and manufacturing processes
- Help OpenAI approach Apple suppliers using confidential information
The legal complaint outlines these specific violations.
Following the filing, OpenAI’s Director of Strategic Communications, Drew Pusateri, responded on the platform X.
He stated that OpenAI is not interested in other companies’ secrets. The company remains focused on building innovative tools that empower people worldwide.
This is not the first trade secret dispute involving OpenAI’s hardware partnership with Jony Ive’s io Products.
Hardware startup iyO previously sued OpenAI and io Products over branding issues. In March 2026, iyO amended its lawsuit to include trade secret theft allegations.
The updated suit named Tang Tan, alleging an engineer shared files with a former Apple executive. OpenAI denied iyO’s claims.
