OpenAI fires back at Apple trade secrets lawsuit with public blog post and redacted receipts

OpenAI decided the best defense against Apple’s trade secrets lawsuit isn’t just a good lawyer. It’s a blog post. On August 3, OpenAI published a detailed rebuttal titled “Apple is getting this wrong,” complete with redacted iMessages and emails it says exonerate the company from claims that it systematically poached Apple employees and their confidential knowledge to jumpstart its own hardware ambitions. Apple, apparently unimpressed by the PR offensive, responded by seeking a preliminary injunction against OpenAI and two former Apple employees within hours. What Apple is alleging Apple filed its 41-page complaint on July 10, 2026, in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. The lawsuit names OpenAI alongside several former Apple employees, including Chang Liu and Tang Yew Tan, who now serves as OpenAI’s Chief Hardware Officer. The allegations are specific and, if true, fairly brazen. Apple claims that former employees were asked during OpenAI job interviews to bring “actual parts” from Apple projects. The complaint also alleges that some departing employees accessed confidential files after they’d already decided to leave, and that OpenAI actively solicited ...