OpenAI Shares Chats And Emails As It Refutes Apple’s Suit Alleging It Stole Trade Secrets

Aug 04, 2026 05:45 PM - 1 hour ago 1

Topline

OpenAI rejected Apple’s suit alleging waste and acquisition secrets theft successful a lengthy blog station early connected Tuesday that includes respective iMessage chats and email conversations arsenic it challenged the iPhone-maker’s bid to summation a preliminary injunction barring 2 erstwhile Apple labor and OpenAI from accessing aliases disclosing alleged confidential information.

The ineligible conflict betwixt OpenAI and Apple escalated arsenic the ChatGPT-maker responded to Apple's allegations.

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Key Facts

In its blog post, OpenAI described Apple arsenic “one of the top companies” but claimed its “careless, fierce and oddly individual lawsuit” fails to unrecorded up to its reputation.

Rejecting claims that Apple first contacted it successful February, OpenAI noted the iPhone-maker’s extracurricular lawyers “emailed the incorrect personification aft confusing 2 Asian past names,” and only admitted to this correction aft “we brought this to their attention.”

On the allegations of erstwhile Apple staffer Chang Liu accessing confidential accusation aft exiting the company, OpenAI wrote that the iPhone-maker now admits labor really reached retired to Chang and asked for his “help to find this information.”

The station past calls retired Apple for failing to decently negociate the rumor of erstwhile labor having residual entree to its systems aft leaving the institution and accuses Apple of trying to displacement blame.

On the waste and acquisition secrets theft allegations against its main hardware serviceman Tang Tan, who formerly worked arsenic vice president astatine Apple, OpenAI claimed he was ever clear pinch his squad that “we do not want, and must not use, immoderate confidential accusation from different companies.”

OpenAI’s station points to respective iMessage chats and email exchanges that it argues backmost its claims.

What Do We Know About Apple’s Request For A Preliminary Injunction?

Apple revenge a request for a preliminary injunction connected Monday earlier a California Federal Court to forestall its erstwhile labor and OpenAI from “accessing, acquiring, utilizing aliases disclosing Apple's waste and acquisition secrets.” Apple besides wants the injunction to artifact the plaintiffs from soliciting aliases encouraging others to entree its secrets and “stop destroying, deleting aliases concealing evidence.” The filing notes that aft Apple revenge its suit, it sent different missive to OpenAI outlining 5 conditions nether which it would skip filing specified an injunction. It alleges that the ChatGPT-maker agreed to 3 conditions: nary early entree aliases soliciting of specified information, halt immoderate existing access, usage aliases soliciting efforts and sphere applicable evidence. However, OpenAI rejected Apple’s petition to let its counsel and third-party forensic analysts to “inspect, image, and analyse each devices, retention drives, and accounts successful OpenAI’s possession” for immoderate of Apple’s secrets and “search immoderate OpenAI web location wherever immoderate Apple proprietary and waste and acquisition concealed accusation whitethorn person been transferred aliases stored.” The iPhone maker’s filing noted that it would beryllium “irreparably harmed absent a preliminary injunction,” and adds: “OpenAI, its people, and partners should not beryllium permitted to develop, release, and use from products utilizing and developed pinch the use of Apple’s waste and acquisition secrets.”

Chief Critic

“Apple’s petition for a preliminary injunction is some based connected mendacious accusation and wholly unnecessary because we do not have, nor want, immoderate of their waste and acquisition secrets. We’re overmuch much willing successful building innovative products and technologies that push the frontier,” OpenAI notes successful its blog post.