Monday, July 13, 2026

Apple sues OpenAI, alleging hardware trade-secret theft

OpenAI

Apple filed a lawsuit in California federal court on July 10 accusing OpenAI and its hardware chief Tang Tan - a former Apple vice president - of a coordinated campaign to steal trade secrets about Apple's unreleased products. The complaint alleges OpenAI pushed Apple employees and job candidates to bring components, drawings and 'actual parts' to interviews for 'show and tell,' and that one departing engineer kept an Apple laptop loaded with confidential technical documents. The suit, which also names Jony Ive's OpenAI-owned io Products, seeks to bar OpenAI from using the material and force its return.