The legal dispute between OpenAI and Apple intensified on Tuesday after OpenAI publicly rejected Apple’s trade secrets lawsuit, accusing the iPhone maker of filing a complaint riddled with factual inaccuracies and releasing email exchanges that it says undermine several of Apple’s central allegations.
In a sharply worded blog post, OpenAI described Apple’s lawsuit as a “careless, aggressive and oddly personal lawsuit,” explaining that the company has misrepresented key events surrounding its contacts with OpenAI and former Apple employees.
The latest exchange marks a significant escalation in what has become one of Silicon Valley’s most closely watched legal battles, highlighting growing tensions between two companies whose relationship has deteriorated as competition in artificial intelligence expands beyond software into hardware and consumer devices.
Register for Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 20 (June 8 – Sept 5, 2026).
Register for Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass.
Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and co-invest in great global startups.
Apple filed suit in July, accusing OpenAI of engaging in a “coordinated pattern of misconduct at an institutional level” to obtain confidential information and trade secrets.
Among its allegations, Apple claimed that:
- A former Apple employee exploited an authentication vulnerability before joining OpenAI.
- OpenAI encouraged Apple engineers to bring proprietary hardware to job interviews.
- Senior OpenAI executives fostered a culture that tolerated such conduct.
- OpenAI ignored Apple’s attempts to raise concerns earlier this year.
OpenAI has denied each of those allegations.
In Tuesday’s response, the AI company noted that Apple had made several factual errors before filing suit and said documentary evidence contradicts portions of Apple’s complaint.
A central part of OpenAI’s rebuttal concerns Apple’s assertion that it unsuccessfully attempted to contact the company regarding its concerns.
According to OpenAI, Apple’s outside legal counsel mistakenly sent correspondence to the wrong individual after confusing two people with similar Asian surnames.
“Apple had claimed that they contacted OpenAI in February and that we didn’t respond,” the company wrote.
“They now admit that their outside lawyers emailed the wrong person after confusing two Asian last names only after we brought this to their attention.”
OpenAI also disputed Apple’s claim that its legal team had discussions with OpenAI’s general counsel.
“Apple also claimed they had a discussion with our General Counsel, which they now concede never happened,” the company said.
To support its position, OpenAI published copies of what it says are email exchanges involving Apple’s legal representatives.
The lawsuit also centers on Chang Liu, a former Apple engineer who now works at OpenAI, and former Apple executive Tang Tan. Apple alleges OpenAI improperly benefited from confidential information allegedly taken by Liu.
OpenAI counters that Apple employees themselves continued contacting Liu after he departed from the company. According to messages released by OpenAI, former Apple colleagues asked Liu to help locate files, answer technical questions, and assist with file transfers after he had already left the company.
OpenAI argued that the communications demonstrate an internal access management problem rather than any misconduct by Liu.
“This is a common issue with Apple which is caused by them failing to properly manage system access when people leave,” OpenAI said.
The company added that former employees may retain access to company files even when they neither seek nor expect such access.
The legal battle comes as competition between major technology companies increasingly extends beyond AI models into consumer hardware and integrated AI ecosystems. Relations between Apple and OpenAI have become more strained following OpenAI’s expansion into AI-powered devices and its recruitment of several prominent former Apple executives.
Among the most notable hires is Jony Ive, Apple’s longtime design chief, whose collaboration with OpenAI on next-generation AI hardware has intensified competitive pressures between the companies.
Across Silicon Valley, competition for elite AI engineering talent has led to aggressive legal battles over trade secrets, intellectual property and employee mobility.
The lawsuit represents an effort by Apple to protect proprietary technology and reinforce safeguards around confidential engineering work as AI becomes central to future consumer products. But by publicly rebutting the allegations, OpenAI appears to be aiming at defending its reputation at a time when it is expanding relationships with hardware partners, enterprise customers and government agencies.