OpenAI has responded to Apple’s lawsuit, which accuses the company and several former Apple employees of stealing confidential hardware information. The company has rejected the allegations and said it has no interest in using trade secrets from other businesses.
Apple filed the lawsuit against former employees Chang Liu and Tang Tan, along with OpenAI and io Products, over alleged trade secret theft and breach of contract. The complaint claims that confidential information from Apple’s hardware teams helped support OpenAI’s early consumer device plans.
OpenAI Rejects Apple’s Claims
Apple alleges that former employees accessed private files, shared details about unreleased products, and discussed manufacturing processes with OpenAI. The company also claims that job candidates brought Apple prototypes and components to interviews and later helped OpenAI approach suppliers using confidential information.
Drew Pusateri, OpenAI’s Director of Strategic Communications, responded to the lawsuit through a post on X. He said OpenAI has no interest in other companies’ trade secrets and remains focused on developing technology for users around the world.
The dispute also adds to the legal pressure surrounding OpenAI’s hardware partnership with Jony Ive-led io Products. Hardware startup iyO previously sued both companies over branding and later expanded its complaint to include trade secret allegations.
That amended case also named Tang Tan and claimed that a former iyO engineer downloaded confidential files before passing them to the former Apple executive. OpenAI has denied those allegations as well.
Apple’s lawsuit now places greater attention on OpenAI’s hardware plans and its hiring of former Apple employees. The case will depend on whether Apple can prove that confidential information reached OpenAI and influenced its product development.
