In synthesis
On July 10, 2026, Apple sued OpenAI and two former Apple employees, Tang Tan and Chang Liu, in federal court in California, alleging trade secret theft tied to unreleased AI hardware. The complaint brings four claims under the Defend Trade Secrets Act and two breach-of-contract claims. OpenAI denies any interest in competitors' trade secrets; the Siri-ChatGPT partnership remains active and is explicitly outside the scope of the case.
Questions this translation answers
- 1Why did Apple sue OpenAI?
- 2Who are Tang Tan and Chang Liu?
- 3Does this lawsuit affect the Siri-ChatGPT partnership?
- 4What is Apple asking the court to do?
What happened
Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on Friday, July 10, accusing the AI company and two of its own former employees of stealing trade secrets tied to unreleased hardware products. It is the first direct legal clash between the two companies since their public split over the original ChatGPT-iPhone partnership devolved into open competition on hardware.
According to the complaint filed Friday in federal court in San Francisco, Apple alleges the scheme played out "at every level, from members of its Technical Staff to its Chief Hardware Officer" — a reference to Tang Tan, Apple's former vice president of product design for iPhone and Apple Watch. Tan spent 24 years at Apple before leaving in February 2024 to become OpenAI's chief hardware officer.
Per the complaint's contents, confirmed by multiple outlets that reviewed the filing — including TechCrunch, CNBC and Fortune — Tan allegedly used confidential Apple project code names during OpenAI's recruiting process, asked candidates who were still Apple employees to bring physical hardware parts to "show and tell" interview sessions, and coached departing Apple staff on how to evade the company's exit security protocols.
Apple also names Chang Liu, a senior systems electrical engineer with eight years at the company, who allegedly failed to return an Apple-issued laptop after leaving for OpenAI and used it to download confidential technical documents — more than a thousand pages of manufacturing-related material, according to 9to5Mac's account of the filing. The complaint further alleges, per the same reporting, that OpenAI had an Apple supplier apply one of Apple's proprietary metal-finishing techniques under false pretenses, and contacted an Apple battery supplier using internal company terminology.
In a statement, Apple said: "Recently, significant evidence has emerged suggesting individuals employed by OpenAI wrongfully took Apple's secret and confidential information regarding our unreleased technologies, processes, and products." The company says it sent OpenAI a letter in February raising these concerns and never received a response.
OpenAI pushed back: "We have no interest in other companies' trade secrets. We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere."
From partners to hardware rivals
Apple and OpenAI have publicly collaborated since 2024, when ChatGPT became available as an answer source inside Siri on iOS — an arrangement Apple says remains in effect and is explicitly outside the scope of this lawsuit. The relationship soured after OpenAI moved into physical devices: in May 2025, it paid $6.4 billion for io Products, the startup founded by Jony Ive, Apple's former chief design officer and the figure behind icons like the iPhone and iMac. Ive is not named as a defendant. OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman has said publicly that he envisions "a new class of AI devices" capable of replacing the smartphone as people's primary point of contact with technology.
Why it matters
The case puts a rare, detailed legal spotlight on a dynamic long familiar in Silicon Valley: how companies fight over technical talent in a state where noncompete agreements are effectively unenforceable. California does not recognize noncompete clauses for employees, which leaves trade secret law as one of the few levers Apple has to slow the flow of former staff — and the knowledge they carry — to a direct competitor.
For the broader AI industry, the dispute underscores how much pressure OpenAI is under to ship a marquee physical product in the coming months, at the same time it is reportedly preparing for a possible initial public offering. A preliminary injunction barring use of the disputed material could delay that timeline.
Limitations and open questions
The complaint reflects only Apple's version of events; OpenAI has not yet filed a formal response in court, and the full 41-page document is not publicly available — the details reported here come from passages cited by outlets that reviewed the filing directly. Legal observers expect a protracted fight, with the first meaningful signal likely to come from any request for a preliminary injunction, which would show whether a judge sees enough risk to restrict use of the contested information before the case is decided on the merits.
What happens next
OpenAI will have to respond to the complaint in court. The filing to watch is any motion for a preliminary injunction from Apple, which could be decided within weeks and would indicate whether the court sees a concrete risk in letting OpenAI's device development continue unrestricted while the case proceeds.
Key takeaways
- Apple sued OpenAI and two former Apple employees over alleged theft of hardware trade secrets.
- The complaint brings four claims under the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act and two breach-of-contract claims.
- The Siri-ChatGPT partnership remains active and is explicitly outside the scope of the case.
- The next milestone to watch is any request for a preliminary injunction against OpenAI.
Translation note
Native English news adaptation of the Portuguese-language original, not a literal translation. Facts, figures, quotes and open questions preserved; structure and phrasing adapted for an international readership.