Former Bosses Turned Traitors: Apple Unafraid to Take Legal Action
The relationship between two technology giants, Apple and OpenAI, is intensifying, leading to a legal battle in court. OpenAI has officially issued a strong denial against allegations of trade secret theft brought by Apple, following the departure of several key staff members to the ChatGPT creator’s camp.
In legal documents filed at the US District Court in San Jose, California, on Monday (31/8) local time, OpenAI condemned the legal steps taken by the iPhone manufacturer. “This dispute is a mess created by Apple itself, and they are attempting to blame everyone,” OpenAI wrote in its official defence, as reported by Reuters on Tuesday (1/9/2026).
The conflict began last July when Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and two of its former engineering bosses, Tang Tan and Chang Liu. In its claim, Apple alleges that the two former employees betrayed the company and misappropriated crucial trade secrets, ranging from hardware designs and manufacturing systems to supply chain operations, to facilitate OpenAI’s ambitions to enter the consumer device market.
Apple claims that this talent poaching is a structured strategy by OpenAI to steal competitor secrets. It is noted that the AI laboratory led by Sam Altman has recruited approximately 400 former Apple employees to work on their secret hardware projects.
However, the OpenAI camp has struck back, suggesting the lawsuit is merely a cover for Apple’s panic. The artificial intelligence startup believes Apple is intentionally using legal channels to obstruct its competitor’s progress and intimidate its employees from leaving.
OpenAI also highlighted internal flaws within Apple itself. According to the company, Apple’s policy of frequently encouraging employees to use personal iCloud accounts for work matters has created a fatal blunder, blurring the lines between personal data and confidential company documents when employees decide to depart.
On the other hand, the former employees being sued have also defended themselves. Chang Liu argued that his access to Apple documents after his departure was solely to assist former colleagues in retrieving left-behind files. Meanwhile, Tang Tan, a veteran who served Apple for 24 years, asserted that he returned all prototypes before leaving and never retained any secret materials.
This feud marks a dramatic fracture in the strategic partnership established between the two parties two years ago, where Apple initially partnered with ChatGPT to strengthen AI features on its devices. Now, instead of collaborating, the two are engaged in a fierce legal battle to vie for dominance in future talent and technology.