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Apple sues OpenAI, executives over alleged theft of device trade secrets

Apple sues OpenAI, executives over alleged theft of device trade secrets

Apple alleges OpenAI’s hardware push misused confidential Apple information tied to unreleased products and seeks to block any use of the material as OpenAI prepares its first device.

Fact Check
Two independent, credible primary news sources (WSJ and CNBC), both dated July 10, 2026, confirm that Apple sued OpenAI and its executive Tang Tan in the Northern District of California over alleged trade secret theft involving device/hardware information obtained through former Apple employees and business partners. This matches every element of the claim, including the venue, the involvement of former Apple personnel/partners, and the fraying of the prior Apple-OpenAI partnership.
    Reference: 12
Summary

Apple has sued OpenAI in federal court in California, accusing the company, hardware chief Tang Tan and former Apple engineer Chang Liu of misappropriating trade secrets tied to Apple’s unreleased hardware as OpenAI builds its first consumer device. Apple alleges Tan used confidential project code names in recruiting, told Apple employees interviewing with OpenAI to bring hardware components, and coached departing staff on avoiding Apple security procedures. The complaint also alleges Liu kept an Apple-issued laptop after joining OpenAI in 2026 and used it to download confidential technical documents. Apple says the material included technical specifications, engineering presentations and a proprietary metal finishing technique, and is seeking an order barring use of the alleged secrets, return of the materials and preservation of evidence. OpenAI denied the allegations. The case marks a sharp turn in relations after the companies’ 2024 ChatGPT integration deal and comes after OpenAI’s $6.4 billion acquisition of Jony Ive’s io Products in May 2025, as the company readies its first physical AI device for 2026 and is widely expected to pursue an IPO at a valuation around $852 billion.

Terms & Concepts
  • trade secrets: Confidential business information that derives value from not being public and is protected from unauthorized use.
  • metal finishing technique: A proprietary manufacturing process used to treat or refine the surface of a hardware component.
  • preservation of evidence: A legal requirement to keep documents, devices or other materials intact for use in a court case.