{"slug": "apple-sues-openai-and-two-former-employees-for-alleged-theft-of-trade-secrets", "title": "Apple sues OpenAI and two former employees for alleged theft of trade secrets", "summary": "Apple sued OpenAI and two former employees on Friday, alleging theft of trade secrets including product designs and supply chain strategies to benefit OpenAI's consumer hardware push. The lawsuit, filed in California federal court, escalates tensions between the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT owner amid intensifying competition for AI talent and technology.", "body_md": "[Apple](https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/apple/) on Friday filed a lawsuit against [OpenAI](https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/openai) and two former employees, alleging misappropriation of the iPhone maker’s trade secrets to benefit the [ChatGPT](https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/chatgpt/)-owner’s foray into consumer hardware.\n\nThe complaint, filed in the [US](https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/united-states/) district court for the Northern District of [California](https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/california/), alleges a co-ordinated effort to steal Apple’s confidential information, including product designs, manufacturing processes and supply chain strategies.\n\nThe lawsuit is against former senior system electrical engineer of Apple Chang Liu and former vice president of product design for iPhone and Apple Watch Tang Yew Tan, as well as OpenAI Foundation, OpenAI Group PBC and io Products.\n\nIt dramatically escalates tension between Apple and the ChatGPT maker that has been simmering for months. OpenAI did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.\n\n## READ MORE\n\nApple alleged that Liu had failed to return a company-issued work laptop and later used an authentication bug to access Apple’s internal network, downloading “dozens of Apple’s confidential hardware-related files”.\n\nThe company also claimed that Tan “has been methodically using Apple’s confidential information to benefit OpenAI” by e-mailing himself information about Apple suppliers and internal industry summaries before his departure.\n\nA person familiar with the matter told Reuters in May that OpenAI was exploring legal options against Apple, including notifying the technology giant of a breach of contract but potentially not filing a full lawsuit.\n\nThe tensions between the two tech companies have strained their relationship and shown how the race to develop AI products has intensified competition for talent and proprietary technology.\n\nIn 2024, Apple announced integration of its “Apple Intelligence” technology across its apps including Siri and brought OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT to its devices.\n\nTheir partnership allows users to access ChatGPT results through Siri, while iPhone users can also sign up for ChatGPT memberships directly from the iOS settings menu.\n\nOpenAI bought hardware start-up io Products, founded by former Apple designer Jony Ive, last year in a $6.5 billion deal, underscoring its push to move beyond software into consumer hardware. Ive is not named in the lawsuit.\n\nLast month, Apple rolled out a long-delayed overhaul of Siri. The update comes two years after Apple first promised major upgrades that were repeatedly delayed. – Reuters\n\n(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2026", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/apple-sues-openai-and-two-former-employees-for-alleged-theft-of-trade-secrets", "canonical_source": "https://www.irishtimes.com/technology/big-tech/2026/07/10/apple-sues-openai-and-two-former-employees-for-alleged-theft-of-trade-secrets/", "published_at": "2026-07-12 14:56:22+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-07-12 15:35:19.899776+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy", "ai-products", "ai-infrastructure"], "entities": ["Apple", "OpenAI", "Chang Liu", "Tang Yew Tan", "OpenAI Foundation", "OpenAI Group PBC", "io Products", "Jony Ive"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/apple-sues-openai-and-two-former-employees-for-alleged-theft-of-trade-secrets", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/apple-sues-openai-and-two-former-employees-for-alleged-theft-of-trade-secrets.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/apple-sues-openai-and-two-former-employees-for-alleged-theft-of-trade-secrets.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/apple-sues-openai-and-two-former-employees-for-alleged-theft-of-trade-secrets.jsonld"}}