Apple Sues OpenAI Over 400 Ex-Apple Hires and Alleged iPhone Secret Theft
Updated
Updated · WIRED · Jul 16
Apple Sues OpenAI Over 400 Ex-Apple Hires and Alleged iPhone Secret Theft
3 articles · Updated · WIRED · Jul 16
Summary
Apple alleges OpenAI used former Apple employees to obtain unreleased iPhone parts, prototypes, designs and documents tied to secret hardware projects.
More than 400 former Apple employees have joined OpenAI, according to the lawsuit, and Apple names chief hardware officer Tang Tan—an Apple veteran of 24 years—as a key figure.
The case lands as OpenAI pushes deeper into devices after its $6.5 billion acquisition of io Products, the startup co-founded by Jony Ive, Tan and other former Apple executives.
Apple appears to be targeting a fast-growing hardware rival as much as seeking damages, with the suit potentially slowing OpenAI's effort to build an AI-first consumer device.
A judge dismissed a similar lawsuit. Can Apple prove OpenAI's hiring was theft, not just aggressive recruiting?
Is Apple's lawsuit a defense of its secrets or a strategic move to crush a future iPhone competitor?
Apple’s 2026 Lawsuit Against OpenAI: Trade Secrets, Talent Wars, and the Future of AI Hardware
Overview
On July 10, 2026, Apple filed a major lawsuit against OpenAI, io Products, and two individuals, accusing them of systematic trade secret theft and breach of contract as OpenAI pushed into the consumer hardware market. Apple claims OpenAI’s new hardware business is built on misappropriated Apple secrets, with misconduct allegedly normalized by OpenAI’s leadership. Apple also believes it cannot see the full extent of the wrongdoing and is using the legal discovery process to uncover more. This lawsuit marks a dramatic escalation in their rivalry and could have significant consequences for both companies and the tech industry.