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Apple sues OpenAI, accusing ChatGPT maker of stealing trade secrets

Published July 12, 2026 at 8:11 PM UTC

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Apple has filed a federal lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that the artificial intelligence company engaged in a systematic campaign to steal trade secrets to bolster its own hardware development efforts. The complaint, filed in the Northern District of California, claims that OpenAI recruited former Apple employees and encouraged them to misappropriate confidential information, including unreleased product designs and proprietary supplier data. Apple asserts that this misconduct occurred at multiple levels within OpenAI, involving both technical staff and leadership. The lawsuit specifically names two former Apple employees now at OpenAI: Tang Tan, the company's chief hardware officer, and Chang Liu, a former electrical engineer. Apple alleges that these individuals used their positions to extract sensitive information, with claims that Liu accessed internal networks after his departure and Tan utilized internal codenames to solicit confidential project details from job candidates. OpenAI has denied the allegations, stating that it has no interest in other companies' trade secrets and remains focused on building its own innovative technology. This legal action marks a significant escalation in tensions between the two companies, which previously maintained a partnership that integrated ChatGPT into Apple's operating system. As OpenAI prepares to launch its first consumer hardware device, the outcome of this case could have major implications for the competitive landscape of the AI and hardware industries.