Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the ChatGPT maker of running a coordinated scheme to steal confidential information for its upcoming hardware devices.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Northern California, marks a dramatic breakdown in a relationship that began with a high-profile partnership in 2024, when ChatGPT was built into the iPhone’s operating system. Apple now alleges that OpenAI encouraged its employees to hand over confidential drawings, components and technical documents as part of a push to build its own consumer devices.
At the centre of the complaint is Tang Tan, OpenAI’s chief hardware officer, who spent 24 years at Apple before leaving to help lead the company’s hardware division. Apple alleges Tan used internal project codenames during OpenAI’s recruitment process and asked job candidates still employed at Apple to bring physical components to interviews.
The lawsuit also names Chang Liu, a former Apple electrical engineer, accusing him of keeping a company-issued laptop after leaving and using it to access confidential files. Apple claims Liu later exploited a security gap to reach Apple’s internal cloud storage while working at OpenAI.
Both Tan and Liu are named as defendants alongside io Products, the hardware venture OpenAI acquired in 2025 in a deal reportedly worth close to 6.5 billion dollars, which brought in former Apple design chief Jony Ive to lead the project.
OpenAI said it takes the allegations seriously but denied wrongdoing, saying the company has no interest in the trade secrets of other businesses and remains focused on building its own technology. The company has said it is still reviewing the filing.
Apple is asking the court to block OpenAI from using or sharing any of its trade secrets, order the return of confidential materials, and preserve evidence connected to the case. The company says it first raised concerns with OpenAI in February but received no response.
The case lands at a sensitive moment for OpenAI, which has been preparing for a possible stock market listing that could value the company at hundreds of billions of dollars. A public listing would require OpenAI to disclose detailed financial information for the first time, and the lawsuit adds fresh scrutiny just as the company works to expand beyond chatbots into physical devices.
Neither company has said whether the dispute will affect their existing partnership, which still powers key AI features across Apple’s products.
