Apple has filed a lawsuit in a federal court in California against OpenAI and two of its employees, accusing the company of misappropriating trade secrets and confidential information related to its hardware designs and unreleased technologies.

Apple said in the lawsuit that 'significant' evidence indicates that current and former OpenAI employees illegally obtained confidential information about the company's technologies, operations, and products that have not yet been launched, and described these practices as a recurring pattern within the company.

Apple added: 'We will continue to defend the efforts of our teams and innovations, and we will take all appropriate legal actions to protect our intellectual property.'

In response, OpenAI denied the allegations, with a spokesperson stating that the company 'does not care about the trade secrets of other companies,' emphasizing that it focuses on developing innovative technologies that serve users.

Competition Beyond Software

The lawsuit comes at a time when the relationship between the two companies is undergoing a radical transformation, as competition has shifted from software to smart devices.

Apple launched a new version of its personal assistant Siri, based on technologies similar to the smart assistant ChatGPT, while OpenAI is working to enter the consumer devices market, especially after its acquisition last year of io, the company founded by former Apple chief designer Jony Ive, in a deal worth $6.4 billion.

Apple noted that more than 400 of its former employees have moved to OpenAI, amid increasing competition for talent in the field of artificial intelligence.

Allegations Against Former Employees

The lawsuit includes direct accusations against Tang Tan, head of hardware at OpenAI, who spent 24 years at Apple before leaving in early 2024.

Apple alleges he transferred confidential information about suppliers before leaving the company, and used that information during job interviews to recruit employees from Apple and obtain more internal data.

The lawsuit also accuses Zhang Liu, a former electrical engineer who joined OpenAI earlier this year, of retaining company devices and failing to return some of them, as well as accessing confidential files and copying sensitive data, even exploiting a vulnerability in Apple's internal storage systems after leaving the company to obtain additional files.

Apple claims the accused employees asked some of its staff to bring secret digital designs and prototypes to job interviews at OpenAI for demonstration, and the company described these incidents as just the 'tip of the iceberg.'

Legal Demands

Apple is asking the court to issue an injunction preventing OpenAI and the defendants from destroying any evidence related to the case, and to compel them to return all copies containing the company's secrets and confidential information, in addition to financial compensation or restitution for any unauthorized use of those trade secrets.

The case comes as OpenAI prepares to expand into consumer electronics, and continues to invest in the development of chips and AI infrastructure, amid increasing competition with major tech companies, led by Apple.

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OpenAI Apple Artificial Intelligence

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July 11, 2026 Last updated: July 11, 2026

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