OpenAI has strongly denied Apple’s allegations of trade secret theft, calling the lawsuit “careless, aggressive and oddly personal” while publishing internal emails and messages to counter the claims.
The response came hours after Apple sought a preliminary injunction to prevent OpenAI and two former Apple employees from accessing or using information the iPhone maker considers confidential.
In a blog post titled “Apple is getting this wrong,” OpenAI said Apple’s request was based on false information and insisted it neither possesses nor wants the company’s trade secrets. The lawsuit targets former Apple executives Tang Tan and Chang Liu, who joined OpenAI’s hardware division after leaving Apple.
According to the reports, OpenAI alleged that Apple mistakenly contacted the wrong employee while attempting to resolve the matter and falsely claimed discussions had taken place with its general counsel. The company shared internal emails in which its legal team disputed those assertions.
It also released messages showing Apple employees seeking Liu’s assistance in locating files after his departure, arguing this reflected Apple’s failure to revoke system access rather than any misuse by former staff. Regarding Tan, OpenAI said he consistently instructed his team not to use confidential information from previous employers.
The dispute follows Apple’s lawsuit over alleged misuse of confidential hardware development information after OpenAI expanded its consumer hardware ambitions through its $6.5 billion acquisition of io, the AI startup co-founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive.
