Apple Sues OpenAI Over Alleged Trade Secret Theft

On July 10, 2026, Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, accusing the company of systematically stealing trade secrets to develop its own consumer hardware. The complaint alleges: "At every level, from members of its Technical Staff to its Chief Hardware Officer, and in coordination with business partners, OpenAI has been stealing Apple's trade secrets and confidential information," TechCrunch reports.

The lawsuit's central figure is Tang Tan, OpenAI's current Chief Hardware Officer, who spent 24 years at Apple and most recently served as VP of product design for the iPhone and Apple Watch. Apple alleges Tan used confidential Apple project codenames during hiring, asked job candidates to bring actual Apple components to interviews for "show and tell" sessions, and helped departing employees route around the company's security systems.

The second named individual is Chang Liu, a senior systems electrical engineer who spent eight years at Apple: according to the complaint, after leaving for OpenAI in 2026, he failed to return an Apple-issued laptop and used it to download confidential technical documents about unannounced Apple technologies and products.

Apple is asking the court to bar OpenAI from using or disclosing its trade secrets, order the return of all confidential materials, and preserve evidence related to the case. In an official statement, OpenAI said: "We have no interest in other companies' trade secrets. We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere," CNBC reports.

Put simply: this is a sharp reversal for two companies that struck a high-profile partnership back in 2024 to integrate ChatGPT directly into the iPhone's operating system. One telling detail: a year earlier, in 2025, OpenAI had already acquired io, the hardware startup founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive, for $6.5 billion — and it's around that effort, according to the complaint, that Apple's claims are centered.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.