The OpenAI logo. Image: OpenAI / Wikimedia Commons (public domain).The legal war between OpenAI and Apple took a sharp new turn this week, with OpenAI accusing a former employee of walking out the door with more than 100 highly confidential files about an unreleased device — and then briefing Apple's senior leadership on the product.
In a filing Tuesday in U.S. federal court in San Jose, California, OpenAI said the employee joined the ChatGPT maker from Apple, worked there for about six months, and then returned to Apple. On June 2, 2026 — his final day at OpenAI — he allegedly sent the files to his personal accounts. According to the filing, they included detailed images of the device, engineering and manufacturing data, supplier information, project files, and standards for cosmetic finishes and hardware coating.
OpenAI further alleges the employee gave a presentation about its device plans to Apple's senior leadership, including Apple's vice president of operations in Asia. The company says that presentation happened months ago, and pointed to Apple's renewed push into AI-powered hardware — including this week's launch of its HomeView product — as reason for alarm. "OpenAI is very concerned that its trade secret and confidential information is now circulating inside Apple," the filing states.
Apple pushed back hard. The iPhone maker said it has policies and procedures to ensure new hires do not use confidential information from previous employers, and that its investigation has found no evidence supporting OpenAI's claims. In an October 12 letter to OpenAI made public through court filings, Apple's lawyers said the two personal phone numbers OpenAI identified as recipients of the files do not match the number the employee uses for his Apple work — suggesting Apple never had possession or control of the data. Apple also said it found no OpenAI files on its servers and had no record of any such presentation, and asked OpenAI for more detail. Instead of answering, Apple said, OpenAI went to court — though Apple added it will keep cooperating with the investigation.
The new filing is a counterpunch in a fight Apple started. Earlier this year, Apple sued OpenAI, alleging that former Apple employees carried trade secrets into OpenAI's hardware division. OpenAI has denied those allegations. The dueling claims underscore how fiercely the two companies are now competing for talent and intellectual property as OpenAI pushes into consumer hardware — a market Apple has long dominated.
On the procedural front, U.S. District Judge Edward Davila this week granted Apple part of what it asked for: early access to digital files from OpenAI, plus expedited depositions of three former employees — including the two defendants in the case, Chang Liu, a former senior systems electrical engineer, and Tang Yew Tan, a former vice president of product design for the iPhone and Apple Watch.
A trial is expected in October 2027, though OpenAI has said it could be ready as early as June 2027. Note: this case is unrelated to the separate October 9 FBI arrest of an OpenAI engineer accused of planting a listening device in a company conference room. What's next is more forensic discovery on both sides, on a fast track — with each company's hardware ambitions hanging on the outcome.