Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in California on July 10, 2026. The allegation is serious: OpenAI allegedly orchestrated a systematic theft of trade secrets and intellectual property to develop its own consumer hardware. According to the complaint, the conduct was coordinated across all levels of the organization, from engineers to the Chief Hardware Officer.
Former Employees at the Center
A key figure in the lawsuit is Tang Tan, a former Apple VP who now leads hardware at OpenAI. Apple alleges he prompted job applicants still employed at Apple to reveal confidential information during interviews, including asking them to bring actual Apple components to show-and-tell presentations.
Departing Apple employees were reportedly coached on how to bypass security controls when leaving the company, allowing them to take proprietary information with them. A manufacturing partner was allegedly told by OpenAI that it had Apple's permission to use a proprietary metalworking process Apple had developed.
From Partnership to Lawsuit
Apple and OpenAI announced a partnership in 2024 to integrate ChatGPT into iOS and Siri. A year later, OpenAI revealed plans to build its own hardware and acquired IO Products, the startup founded by former Apple designer Jony Ive. That move appears to be what ultimately triggered the lawsuit.