{"slug": "apple-sends-legal-letters-to-former-employees-now-at-openai", "title": "Apple sends legal letters to former employees now at OpenAI", "summary": "Apple has sent legal preservation letters to approximately 40 former employees now working at OpenAI, as part of its lawsuit alleging trade secret theft. The letters demand that the recipients preserve documents and evidence relevant to the dispute, which Apple claims may extend beyond the individuals named in the initial filing.", "body_md": "Last week, Apple [filed a lawsuit against OpenAI](https://9to5mac.com/2026/07/10/apple-sues-openai-trade-secret-theft/) in which it alleged that its former employees have stolen trade secrets “for the benefit of OpenAI.”\n\nAs part of this process, Apple has reportedly sent letters directly to dozens of its former employees now working at OpenAI.\n\nAccording to the [ Financial Times](https://www.ft.com/content/1b8c9d52-88a9-426b-ba47-f1811f859166?syn-25a6b1a6=1), Apple has sent legal preservation letters to around 40 former workers.\n\nA preservation letter is a formal written notice sent to a person or organization telling them to preserve documents, records, and other evidence that may be relevant to a legal dispute. These letters typically spell out what should be preserved.\n\nThis comes as Apple suspects the trade secret theft might extend beyond those named in the initial filing last week.\n\nAs a refresher, Apple’s lawsuit names OpenAI and io Products as defendants, alongside former Apple employees Chang Liu and Tang Tan.\n\nYou can read more about Apple’s lawsuit against OpenAI here:\n\n[Apple sues OpenAI, accuses ex-employees of stealing trade secrets](https://9to5mac.com/2026/07/10/apple-sues-openai-trade-secret-theft/)[An email mistake derailed pre-lawsuit talks between Apple and OpenAI](https://9to5mac.com/2026/07/15/report-how-an-email-mistake-derailed-talks-between-apple-and-openai-ahead-of-the-lawsuit/)[Apple lawsuit reveals how many of its former employees now work at OpenAI](https://9to5mac.com/2026/07/13/apple-lawsuit-reveals-how-many-former-employees-now-work-at-openai/)[OpenAI says it has seen no evidence supporting Apple’s trade secret theft claims](https://9to5mac.com/2026/07/14/openai-says-it-has-seen-no-evidence-supporting-apples-trade-secret-theft-claims/)[OpenAI hardware timeline unchanged after Apple lawsuit](https://9to5mac.com/2026/07/13/openai-hardware-timeline-reportedly-unchanged-after-apple-trade-secret-theft-lawsuit/)\n\nYou can read a full copy of [Apple’s initial filing here](https://9to5mac.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2026/07/Apple-Inc.-v.-Liu-et-al.pdf).\n\n**My favorite iPhone accessories:**\n\n[Anker Nano USB-C wall charger with built-in screen](https://amzn.to/4cNuxge)[AirPods Pro 3: Check the current sale price](https://amzn.to/4uUqAwW)[Charge all your Apple gear at the same time](https://amzn.to/4tKQtys)[Bring wireless CarPlay to any car](https://amzn.to/3QO4a14)[USB-C cable that shows how fast you’re charging](https://amzn.to/4tSEoHG)\n\n**Follow Chance**: [Threads](https://www.threads.net/@ChanceHMiller), [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/chancemiller.me), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/chancehmiller/), and [Mastodon](https://mastodon.social/@ChanceHMiller).\n\n*FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.* [More.](https://9to5mac.com/about/#affiliate)\n\n[our homepage](http://9to5mac.com/)for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on\n\n[exclusive stories](https://9to5mac.com/feature/exclusive/),\n\n[reviews](https://9to5mac.com/guides/review/),\n\n[how-tos](https://9to5mac.com/guides/how-to/), and\n\n[subscribe to our YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/9to5mac)", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/apple-sends-legal-letters-to-former-employees-now-at-openai", "canonical_source": "https://9to5mac.com/2026/07/17/apple-sends-legal-letters-to-former-employees-now-at-openai/", "published_at": "2026-07-17 12:30:36+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-07-18 10:26:19.990910+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy", "ai-ethics"], "entities": ["Apple", "OpenAI", "Chang Liu", "Tang Tan", "io Products"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/apple-sends-legal-letters-to-former-employees-now-at-openai", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/apple-sends-legal-letters-to-former-employees-now-at-openai.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/apple-sends-legal-letters-to-former-employees-now-at-openai.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/apple-sends-legal-letters-to-former-employees-now-at-openai.jsonld"}}