# OpenAI fires back at Apple trade secrets lawsuit with public blog post and redacted receipts > Source: > Published: 2026-08-10 11:11:04+00:00 Via sfstandard.com # OpenAI fires back at Apple trade secrets lawsuit with public blog post and redacted receipts The AI company published internal communications it says disprove Apple's allegations of stolen hardware secrets, while Apple moved for a preliminary injunction the same day. OpenAI decided the best defense against Apple’s trade secrets lawsuit isn’t just a good lawyer. It’s a blog post. On August 3, OpenAI published a detailed rebuttal titled “Apple is getting this wrong,” complete with redacted iMessages and emails it says exonerate the company from claims that it systematically poached Apple employees and their confidential knowledge to jumpstart its own hardware ambitions. Apple, apparently unimpressed by the PR offensive, responded by seeking a preliminary injunction against OpenAI and two former Apple employees within hours. ## What Apple is alleging Apple filed its 41-page complaint on July 10, 2026, in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. The lawsuit names OpenAI alongside several former Apple employees, including Chang Liu and Tang Yew Tan, who now serves as OpenAI’s Chief Hardware Officer. The allegations are specific and, if true, fairly brazen. Apple claims that former employees were asked during OpenAI job interviews to bring “actual parts” from Apple projects. The complaint also alleges that some departing employees accessed confidential files after they’d already decided to leave, and that OpenAI actively solicited proprietary physical components. Apple has reportedly sent preservation letters to dozens of its own former employees, a legal move that essentially tells recipients to hold onto any documents or communications that might be relevant. ## OpenAI’s counter-narrative OpenAI’s blog post, published the same day Apple filed for its injunction, attempts to reframe the entire dispute. The company argues that Apple is aggressively mischaracterizing normal hiring practices and routine employee transitions as corporate espionage. The post includes redacted communications from February 2026 that OpenAI says demonstrate its employees acted properly during the hiring process. OpenAI also indicated it had tried to resolve the matter cooperatively before Apple escalated to litigation. On August 6, the company filed a motion to dismiss Apple’s claims entirely, arguing the complaint fails to establish the kind of misconduct Apple describes. ## The talent pipeline problem The backdrop to this lawsuit is a massive flow of engineering talent from Apple to OpenAI. Hundreds of former Apple employees now work at the AI company, according to reports. ## What comes next Apple’s request for a preliminary injunction targeting Tang Yew Tan and other former employees could, if granted, restrict their ability to work on certain projects at OpenAI before the case is even fully litigated. OpenAI’s motion to dismiss, filed August 6, sets up the first major legal checkpoint. If the court denies the motion, the case proceeds to discovery, where both sides will be compelled to produce documents and communications that could prove far more revealing than anything in OpenAI’s curated blog post. **Disclosure:** This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our [Editorial Policy](https://cryptobriefing.com/editorial-policy/).