Apple Sues OpenAI Over Trade Secret Misappropriation

Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the artificial intelligence company of orchestrating a scheme to steal trade secrets and confidential information to develop its own AI hardware devices. The complaint, filed on Friday, July 10, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges trade secret misappropriation and breach of contract.

The lawsuit centers on the actions of two former Apple employees now at OpenAI: hardware lead Tang Tan, a former product design lead, and former electrical engineer Chang Liu. Apple alleges these individuals directed Apple employees interviewing with OpenAI to provide detailed information on unreleased devices, components, manufacturing processes, and vendor relationships. The company claims its investigation uncovered a pattern of departing employees taking steps to evade Apple's security protocols to take confidential information with them.

According to the lawsuit, Tan used his internal knowledge of Apple's exit procedures to coach recruits on how to avoid scrutiny, including advising them not to disclose their new employer to Apple. He is also accused of improperly retaining a confidential internal...