OpenAI released lawyer emails and staff messages to dispute Apple's trade secrets claims before the case reaches court #
OpenAI has published lawyer emails, internal correspondence and employee text messages on a new webpage titled 'Apple is getting this wrong' to publicly challenge Apple's trade secrets lawsuit, moving part of the legal fight from the courtroom onto the internet.
The artificial intelligence company uses the site to dispute Apple's allegations against former Apple employees now working at OpenAI and to accuse the iPhone maker of factual errors before the case reaches court. The page includes redacted emails involving lawyers for both companies and iMessages that OpenAI says support its version of events.
OpenAI Publishes Internal Communications #
Apple sued OpenAI and several former Apple employees over alleged trade secret misappropriation linked to personnel who joined OpenAI's hardware division after the acquisition of io Products, the start-up founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive. Instead of limiting its response to court filings, OpenAI published documents it says undermine central claims in Apple's complaint.
'Apple is getting this wrong,' the company wrote, arguing the lawsuit is based on inaccurate assertions and incomplete facts. OpenAI said it would rather spend its time building products than responding to allegations it believes are unsupported.
Company Challenges Apple's Account #
One of OpenAI's main disputes concerns Apple's efforts to contact the company before filing suit. Apple alleged it reached out in February 2026 without receiving a response.
OpenAI said Apple's outside counsel initially emailed the wrong person after confusing two employees with similar Asian surnames. It also rejected Apple's assertion that discussions took place with General Counsel Che Chang. It said no such conversation occurred.
The company published redacted email exchanges that it says show Apple later acknowledged the mistaken contact and indicated the parties were 'resolving any issues'. OpenAI added that several allegations contained in the lawsuit were never raised during those earlier exchanges.
Messages Focus on Former Apple Engineer #
OpenAI also challenged Apple's allegations involving former Apple engineer Chang Liu. Apple accused Liu of improperly accessing confidential company information after leaving.
OpenAI published screenshots of iMessages that it says show Apple employees contacted Liu after his departure and asked him to help locate files and technical information connected to ongoing work. According to OpenAI, the exchanges indicate any continuing access resulted from Apple's own account-management processes rather than deliberate misconduct by Liu.
The company described the issue as 'residual access' and said Apple failed to fully revoke system permissions after Liu left. OpenAI said it neither has nor wants Apple's confidential information.
OpenAI Defends Tang Tan #
The Sam Altman-led company also defended Tang Tan, the longtime Apple executive who spent more than two decades at the company before joining OpenAI's hardware programme. The company described Tan as an experienced engineering leader who repeatedly instructed colleagues not to bring confidential information from previous employers.
OpenAI said Apple's complaint wrongly suggests it sought to benefit from proprietary Apple material.
Published Evidence Unusual in Trade Secrets Cases #
Trade secrets disputes are normally fought through court filings, discovery and witness testimony. OpenAI instead chose to publish supporting material before substantive court proceedings begin.
The webpage contains redacted correspondence involving Apple's outside lawyers and OpenAI's legal team alongside employee messages that OpenAI says provide context omitted from the lawsuit. The company said it has taken Apple's allegations seriously and offered to work with Apple before litigation escalated. It maintains that Apple's request for a preliminary injunction is unwarranted.
Apple has not publicly addressed the specific claims contained in OpenAI's webpage. The dispute is expected to proceed through the courts, where judges will determine whether Apple's allegations of trade secret misappropriation are supported by the evidence presented by both sides.
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