Crypto
Home›Crypto›Regulation›OpenAI releases messages seeking to undercut Apple's t…
OpenAI releases messages seeking to undercut Apple's trade secrets suit
The disclosure follows Apple's July lawsuit alleging former Apple staff misappropriated hardware trade secrets as OpenAI pushes into consumer hardware after its Jony Ive startup acquisition in 2025.
OpenAI has published a rebuttal to Apple's trade secrets lawsuit, releasing emails and text messages it says show factual errors in the iPhone maker's claims and weaken its allegations that former Apple employees brought confidential information to OpenAI.
In a blog post published Monday, Decrypt reports that OpenAI accused Apple of confusing two employees with similar names, falsely stating it ignored outreach, and incorrectly asserting that Apple's outside counsel had spoken with OpenAI General Counsel Che Chang before filing the suit. OpenAI also challenged Apple's account of its interaction with former engineer Chang Liu after Liu joined the company.
Apple sued OpenAI in July, alleging misappropriation of hardware trade secrets as OpenAI expanded its consumer hardware efforts following its 2025 acquisition of Jony Ive's startup. The lawsuit says Liu retained an Apple laptop after leaving, exploited an authentication bug to access internal systems, and downloaded confidential engineering documents, while also alleging that former Apple executive Tang Tan used confidential Apple information to benefit OpenAI's hardware work and that the recruiting process encouraged candidates to bring sensitive materials.
OpenAI disputes those claims, saying Apple reached out to the wrong person after mixing up employees with similar surnames. It also published iMessage exchanges between Liu and Apple employees sent after he left in January, which OpenAI says show employees asking for help to locate files, transfer documents, and answer technical questions, undermining Apple's argument that Liu improperly retained access to confidential information.