OpenAI says Apple's lawsuit rests on 'comical misunderstandings'

Apple sued OpenAI, claiming the company's staff had stolen Apple trade secrets. In response, OpenAI published a blog post with the headline "Apple is getting this wrong," arguing that the lawsuit is built on a series of factual errors. OpenAI detailed two primary mistakes: first, Apple's outside lawyers contacted the wrong person at OpenAI after confusing two employees' Asian last names—a mistake Apple has now acknowledged. Second, Apple claimed in the lawsuit that company officials had a discussion with OpenAI's General Counsel, but Apple has since conceded that this discussion never happened. OpenAI also addressed the core allegation about access to Apple information. The company said that ex-Apple employees now working at OpenAI only accessed Apple information after they had left Apple. Crucially, OpenAI stated that this access occurred because Apple itself asked them to do so—specifically after Apple had failed to access certain files on its own. OpenAI invited readers to review the full text messages and emails supporting its account, signaling confidence in the documentary record. The public airing of the dispute reflects the high-stakes nature of trade-secret claims in the AI industry, where companies guard competitive advantages closely, and also highlights how quickly procedural errors and miscommunication can snowball into major litigation.