Apple-OpenAI trade secret fight: Claims, chats, and timeline explained

Apple and OpenAI went from AI partners to legal rivals. Here is what Apple alleges, why OpenAI published internal messages, and what could happen next in the trade secret case

OpenAI has published internal emails and iMessage conversations while responding to Apple’s allegations that two former executives shared trade secrets with the artificial intelligence (AI) company. In a blog post titled Apple is getting this wrong, OpenAI said Apple’s allegations misrepresented the facts and maintained that it neither possessed nor wanted the iPhone maker’s confidential information.

 

The response came after Apple sought a preliminary injunction against OpenAI, alleging that confidential information related to unreleased products was taken after two former employees joined the AI company.

 

OpenAI has denied the allegations.

 

The dispute marks a sharp change in the relationship between the two companies. In 2024, Apple and OpenAI partnered to bring ChatGPT to Apple devices through Apple Intelligence. They are now locked in a legal battle over alleged trade secret theft.

How Apple and OpenAI became partners

The relationship between Apple and OpenAI appeared strong in June 2024, when the companies announced a partnership during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).

 

As part of the agreement, ChatGPT was integrated into Apple’s software ecosystem, allowing Siri to hand off complex requests to ChatGPT with the user’s permission.

 

The partnership was one of the main announcements at WWDC 2024 and brought ChatGPT integration to Apple devices through Apple Intelligence.

 

At the time, the companies appeared to complement each other. Apple gained access to a leading AI model, while OpenAI gained exposure to hundreds of millions of Apple users. 

OpenAI’s hardware partnership with Jony Ive

The relationship began to shift as OpenAI expanded beyond AI software.

 

In May 2025, the company announced a partnership with former Apple design chief Jony Ive to develop a new generation of AI-powered consumer devices.

 

According to Bloomberg, Ive’s hardware company, io Products, would merge with OpenAI in a deal valued at nearly $6.5 billion.

 

The partnership also brought together former Apple designers and engineers who had worked closely with Ive on products such as the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.

 

OpenAI said the objective was to create a new family of devices designed for the AI era rather than adapt AI to existing smartphones or computers.

 

The announcement marked OpenAI’s expansion from software into consumer hardware. Although it was not positioned as a direct challenge to Apple, it placed the company in a product category long dominated by the iPhone maker.

Apple turns to Google for its next AI partnership

In January 2026, Apple and Google announced a multiyear partnership under which Google’s Gemini models and cloud technology would support the next generation of Apple Foundation Models.

 

According to the companies’ joint statement, the technology would power future Apple Intelligence features, including a more personalised Siri, while Apple continued to rely on on-device processing and Private Cloud Compute for privacy.

 

Apple’s AI strategy continued to evolve in the following months.

 

Ahead of WWDC 2026, Bloomberg reported that the company was also testing models from Anthropic and Google for a revamped Siri, highlighting its willingness to work with multiple AI providers rather than rely on a single partner.

 

The developments marked a shift from Apple’s earlier reliance on OpenAI for ChatGPT integration and showed that the companies were increasingly pursuing different AI strategies even before their legal dispute became public.

Signs of a strained relationship

By May 2026, reports suggested that the partnership between Apple and OpenAI had weakened.

 

A Bloomberg report said both companies were reassessing their relationship, with legal options also being explored behind the scenes.

 

Around the same period, Apple demonstrated new AI capabilities powered by other models, signalling that its strategy was becoming less dependent on OpenAI.

 

Although neither company publicly acknowledged a breakdown at the time, the relationship appeared noticeably less collaborative than it had been in 2024.

Apple files trade secret lawsuit

The dispute became public on July 10, 2026, when Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, its hardware subsidiary io Products, and two former Apple employees, Tang Tan and Chang Liu, in a California federal court.

 

Apple alleges that former employees who interviewed with or later joined OpenAI improperly shared confidential information related to unreleased products, engineering processes and manufacturing techniques.

 

According to CNBC, citing the lawsuit, Tang Tan, Apple’s former vice-president who now leads OpenAI’s hardware efforts, instructed Apple employees interviewing with OpenAI to bring “actual parts” from Apple to interviews for “show and tell” sessions.

 

Apple alleges that these meetings were intended to obtain confidential information about its products and technologies.

 

The lawsuit also alleges that Liu took an Apple laptop after leaving the company.

 

Apple further claims that OpenAI coached departing employees on avoiding its security checks and asked manufacturing partners to use a metal-finishing process that Apple says it developed, while leading those partners to believe Apple had approved its use.

 

Apple argues that the alleged conduct could benefit OpenAI’s hardware programme as the company develops AI-powered consumer devices through io Products. 

OpenAI rejects Apple’s allegations

Within days of the lawsuit, OpenAI issued its first formal response.

 

In a statement cited by CNBC, a company spokesperson said: “We have no interest in other companies’ trade secrets. We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere.”

 

The brief response followed the conventional legal approach of denying the allegations without publicly disclosing additional evidence.

 

The dispute took another turn after Apple sought a preliminary injunction against OpenAI and the two former employees.

 

Rather than responding only through court filings, OpenAI published a blog post titled Apple is getting this wrong.

Apple seeks a court order

The conflict escalated in August 2026 when Apple asked the court for a preliminary injunction, seeking to prevent OpenAI from allegedly using confidential information while the lawsuit proceeds.

 

Apple also sought expedited discovery, including documents and depositions from OpenAI employees and executives.

 

The company argued that immediate legal intervention was necessary because of the potential threat to its confidential hardware programmes.

Why OpenAI published internal chats

OpenAI responded unusually.

 

Instead of relying only on court filings, it published a detailed blog post containing screenshots of emails and iMessage conversations involving former Apple employees.

 

According to OpenAI, the communications demonstrate that Apple misrepresented important facts in its legal filings.

 

OpenAI argued that:

• It does not possess or seek Apple’s trade secrets
• Apple’s request for a preliminary injunction is based on false information and is unnecessary
• Some communications cited by Apple lacked important context
• Apple employees contacted former colleagues after they had left the company
• Apple’s offboarding procedures allowed former employees to retain access longer than intended
• Apple contacted the wrong OpenAI employee while attempting to raise concerns before filing the lawsuit

OpenAI described Apple’s allegations as “careless, aggressive and oddly personal”, saying it published the communications to correct what it regarded as a misleading public account of the dispute.

What happens next

The lawsuit remains at an early stage, and none of Apple’s allegations has been proven in court.

 

The court will first consider Apple’s request for a preliminary injunction before the case moves further into discovery, during which both sides may be required to produce additional documents and testimony.

 

Regardless of the legal outcome, the dispute illustrates how quickly relationships in the AI industry can change.

 

Companies that are strategic partners one year can become direct competitors the next, particularly as AI expands from software into consumer hardware.

 

The case is being closely watched not only because it involves Apple and OpenAI, but also because its outcome could influence how technology companies recruit employees, protect trade secrets and compete in the emerging AI hardware market.

Timeline: How the Apple-OpenAI dispute unfolded

• June 10, 2024: Apple and OpenAI announce their partnership at WWDC 2024, bringing ChatGPT integration to Apple devices.

• May 21, 2025: OpenAI announces its partnership with former Apple design chief Jony Ive to develop a new generation of AI-powered consumer hardware.

• January 12, 2026: Apple and Google announce a multiyear partnership under which Google’s Gemini models and cloud technology will support the next generation of Apple Foundation Models.

• May-June 2026: Reports suggest Apple is reassessing its AI strategy and exploring models from Google and Anthropic, signalling a move away from relying solely on OpenAI.

• July 10, 2026: Apple files a trade secret lawsuit against OpenAI, io Products, and former Apple employees Tang Tan and Chang Liu, alleging the misappropriation of confidential information related to unreleased technologies.

• August 4, 2026: Apple seeks a preliminary injunction and expedited discovery, asking the court to prevent OpenAI from allegedly using its trade secrets while the case proceeds.

• August 4, 2026: OpenAI publishes blog on its website, featuring internal emails and iMessage conversations that it says contradict Apple’s allegations.