Apple just accused OpenAI of stealing its trade secrets ‘at every level’

Apple filed a trade secret lawsuit against OpenAI on Friday, July 10, in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, accusing the ChatGPT-maker of stealing confidential hardware information ‘at every level’ — from technical staff to its chief hardware officer.

The complaint names OpenAI’s chief hardware officer Tang Tan, a 24-year Apple veteran who led design for the iPhone and Apple Watch, and Chang Liu, a former iPhone hardware engineer who joined OpenAI in January 2026. Apple alleges Tan directed job candidates still employed at Apple to bring ‘actual parts’ to interviews for ‘show and tell’ sessions. Liu, according to the filing, kept an Apple-issued laptop after leaving, exploited an authentication bug to reach Apple’s shared network folders, and downloaded dozens of confidential hardware files on unreleased products.

Apple also claims OpenAI approached one of its manufacturing partners to demonstrate a metal-finishing technique Apple invented, while misleading the partner into thinking Apple had signed off. Apple sent OpenAI a warning letter in February 2026; the lawsuit says OpenAI never replied.

OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri offered a flat denial: ‘We have no interest in other companies’ trade secrets. We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere.’

Image: Wikimedia Commons/by Steve Jurvetson