Apple's trade secrets investigation into OpenAI has expanded, with the company alleging that more former employees may have taken confidential data. The iPhone maker seeks a preliminary injunction to prevent OpenAI and former staff from using its proprietary information.
Apple has intensified its legal battle with OpenAI, filing a motion for a preliminary injunction and expedited discovery. The company claims that additional former employees may have retained or accessed confidential Apple information, potentially using it for OpenAI's hardware development. In its filing with a California federal court, Apple seeks to bar OpenAI and two former employees, Chang Liu and Tang Tan, from accessing, using, or disclosing its alleged confidential information. Apple argues that it will suffer irreparable harm without such an injunction, stating that OpenAI should not be permitted to develop products using its trade secrets.
OpenAI has responded vigorously to Apple's allegations, publishing a blog post titled "Apple is getting this wrong" and asserting that Apple's lawsuit is "careless, aggressive and oddly personal." The artificial intelligence company denies any wrongdoing, stating it has "no interest in other companies' trade secrets." OpenAI has presented internal communications, including iMessage chats and emails, which it claims support its defense. According to OpenAI, Apple's initial contact regarding its concerns was misdirected, with outside counsel emailing the wrong person due to a confusion of Asian last names. OpenAI claims it only learned of the specific allegations in Apple's lawsuit after the suit was filed.
Regarding the allegations against Chang Liu, a former Apple engineer, OpenAI states that Apple employees themselves reached out to Liu after his departure to help locate files and technical information. OpenAI shared iMessage exchanges it says show Apple employees repeatedly asking Liu for assistance, even after his departure on January 22, 2026. One exchange from March 5 shows Liu directing Apple employees to internal folders and contacts, before ending the conversation by noting the situation was "highly irregular." OpenAI suggests that "residual access," where former employees retain access to company systems due to inadequate management, is a known issue at Apple.
OpenAI also defends Tang Tan, a former vice president at Apple who led product design for the iPhone and Apple Watch, and now works for OpenAI's hardware business. Apple had accused Tan of directing job candidates still employed by Apple to bring proprietary hardware to interviews at OpenAI and soliciting additional confidential information. OpenAI asserts that Tan consistently made it clear to his team that they should not use confidential information from other companies.
Apple's lawsuit, originally filed on July 10, 2026, alleged a "coordinated pattern of misconduct at an institutional level" by OpenAI. The suit claimed that a former Apple employee exploited an authentication bug, and that OpenAI asked Apple engineers to bring proprietary hardware to job interviews. Apple's filing for a preliminary injunction also names Yu-Ting Peng, another former Apple employee now at OpenAI, and refers to an unnamed "Individual No. 1." The filing further alleges that OpenAI induced a supplier to perform a proprietary Apple metal-finishing process and that eleven other unnamed OpenAI employees may have met with Apple employees to discuss unannounced products or taken screenshots of confidential documents.
Apple is seeking expedited discovery to depose multiple individuals, including Liu, Tan, and Peng, regarding their alleged access, acquisition, use, and disclosure of Apple's trade secrets. The company also wants OpenAI to produce documentation related to any access to Apple's proprietary material. OpenAI, however, has rejected Apple's request for extensive forensic analysis of its devices and networks. The legal dispute is seen as a fight over control of the next generation of AI devices.