OpenAI publishes Apple emails in trade-secret lawsuit counterattack

OpenAI has escalated its defense against Apple's lawsuit by publishing a blog post and a tranche of private emails to publicly counter the company's trade-secret theft allegations. Apple filed the suit last month, accusing OpenAI, its hardware unit io Products, and two former Apple employees—engineer Chang Liu and design executive Tang Tan—of coordinating to steal confidential information about unreleased Apple products and processes. The lawsuit alleged that a former employee had exploited a security bug, that job candidates were encouraged to bring proprietary Apple hardware into interviews, and that OpenAI leadership normalized this conduct.

OpenAI's response, while not a formal legal filing, pointedly challenges the accuracy and integrity of Apple's lawsuit. OpenAI stated: "Apple is one of the greatest companies of all time, and built a reputation for obsessing over the smallest details. This careless, aggressive, and oddly personal lawsuit sadly doesn't live up to that reputation." The company highlighted two apparent missteps by Apple's outside counsel: an email sent to the wrong individual after confusing "two Asian last names," and a claim about a conversation with OpenAI's general counsel that "never happened." OpenAI also accused Apple of concealing the fact that it never raised these specific allegations at the time, noting instead that Apple had only told OpenAI it was "resolving any issues" and did not contact the lab again until filing suit.

In its defense, OpenAI published emails and messages indicating that Apple staff, not OpenAI, reached out to Chang Liu after his January 22 departure seeking help locating files and answering technical questions. OpenAI argues these communications undercut Apple's narrative that the company ignored concerns and demonstrate that OpenAI responded to Apple's outreach, with any breakdown stemming from Apple's own outside counsel. The company counters that Apple now concedes its own employees initiated contact with Liu.

The tension between the two companies reflects a rapid shift from collaboration to competition. Apple has been integrating Google's AI deeper into its ecosystem, while OpenAI has moved into consumer devices—most notably by acquiring Jony Ive's design firm io and recruiting several former Apple staff members. These moves appear to have intensified Apple's concerns. In a preliminary injunction motion filed this week, Apple told the court it seeks to stop OpenAI and the two former employees from using or spreading its confidential information, warning that it has "suffered and will continue to suffer irreparable harm" without court intervention. Apple argued that if its trade secrets become embedded in OpenAI's products and operations, it could face competition in the consumer hardware market "against its own trade secret technologies."