# Apple’s lawsuit couldn’t come at a worse time for OpenAI > Source: > Published: 2026-07-17 14:00:00+00:00 Apple [filed a trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/13/the-wildest-allegations-in-apples-trade-secrets-lawsuit-against-openai/) last Friday, and it’s not messing around. The complaint alleges a pattern of misconduct reaching all the way up to OpenAI’s chief hardware officer and claims more than 400 former Apple employees now work at the company. [OpenAI’s response so far](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/14/openai-pushes-back-on-apple-trade-secret-lawsuit/) has been carefully hedged, and the timing couldn’t be worse with the company reportedly eyeing an IPO as early as later this year. On this episode of TechCrunch’s [Equity](https://techcrunch.com/podcasts/equity/) podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Sean O’Kane dig into what the lawsuit could mean for OpenAI’s own hardware ambitions and IPO timeline, plus a bigger theme running through the week’s news: how much should anyone trust AI companies with their data? Listen to the full episode to hear more about: - Why Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella [is warning enterprises](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/13/satya-nadella-has-issued-a-shocking-warning-to-companies-using-ai/)about handing data over to AI labs, and whether[open source](https://techcrunch.com/podcast/open-source-ai-matters-more-than-ever-according-to-hugging-faces-clem-delangue/)is really a way out of the “Trojan horse” data-trust problem - How [forward-deployed engineers](https://techcrunch.com/podcast/inside-ode-with-anthropic-the-private-equity-backed-startup-betting-ai-services-are-the-future-of-enterprise/)(FDEs) are changing the relationship between AI labs and their enterprise customers - Why General Catalyst just handed David Beckham’s health drink startup [a $1 billion customer value fund](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/14/david-beckhams-health-drink-startup-im8-takes-1b-from-general-catalysts-unusual-cvf-fund/) - The scoop on a new [$200M drug-discovery startup from an ex-OpenAI researcher](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/14/openai-researcher-miles-wang-in-talks-to-launch-ai-drug-discovery-startup-valued-at-2b/) Subscribe to Equity on [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@TechCrunch),[ Apple Podcasts](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1215439780),[ Overcast](https://overcast.fm/itunes1215439780/equity),[ Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/5IEYLip3eDppcOmy5DmphC?si=rZDFHv2sQUul_g94iCRgpQ) and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on[ X](https://twitter.com/EquityPod) and[ Threads](https://www.threads.net/@equitypod), at @EquityPod.