Apple Escalated Lawsuit Against OpenAI

Apple ramped up its trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI. The iPhone maker alleged that at least 11 more former employees may be linked to a scheme to siphon confidential IP to the AI giant.

The claim appears in a new filing seeking expedited discovery from OpenAI, its foundation, hardware venture io, and the two employees already named in the case: senior systems engineer Chang Liu and chief hardware officer Tang Yew Tan. Last year, the company splashed $6.5 billion to acquire io Products, the device startup co-founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive. Ive’s creative design studio LoveFrom is also working on the hardware line.

Apple is separately pursuing a preliminary injunction aimed at stopping OpenAI from moving forward with an AI device or other products it alleges are based on the iPhone maker’s technology. According to the filing, one former employee met with Liu and OpenAI employee Yu-Ting Peng ahead of Peng’s OpenAI interview and discussed confidential information about unannounced Apple products during that meeting.

“Yet another former Apple employee took screenshots of confidential Apple documents relating to an unannounced Apple product before an interview at OpenAI,” according to the filing. Apple also stated that after it filed the original complaint, multiple former employees now at OpenAI contacted the company to discuss returning Apple-issued devices they had kept after leaving.

Apple argued it has good cause to seek expedited discovery given the suspected scope of additional individuals involved, layering the request on top of its already pending preliminary injunction motion. OpenAI pushed back publicly in a blog post, calling Apple’s injunction request “both based on false information and completely unnecessary” and stating the company does not have, nor want, Apple’s trade secrets.

“We’re much more interested in building innovative products and technologies that push the frontier,” according to its blog. The AI company stated it is focused on building new products and technologies rather than relying on Apple’s work. OpenAI’s post also pointed to reported missteps by Apple during the case, including an instance where it emailed the wrong person after confusing two similar surnames while trying to reach OpenAI.

OpenAI further alleges Apple was untruthful about internal discussions with its general counsel, and stated it has not acknowledged the “residual access” allowing former employees to reach Apple’s systems after departure stemmed from the iPhone maker’s own security shortcomings. The hearing on Apple’s motion for a preliminary injunction is scheduled for 1 October, 2026.