Apple has sued OpenAI, accusing the company of stealing trade secrets to develop its own consumer hardware products. The lawsuit was filed Friday, July 10, 2026, in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, and it opens a dramatic rift between two giants that had spent the past two years working side by side, with ChatGPT built directly into iPhone’s operating system.
“At every level, from technical staff members to the chief hardware officer, and in coordination with business partners, OpenAI misappropriated Apple’s trade secrets and confidential information,” Cupertino’s complaint states.
At the center of the accusation is Tang Tan, OpenAI’s hardware chief and a nearly 25-year Apple veteran, where he led design on the iPhone and Apple Watch before leaving the company in February 2024.
According to Apple, Tan asked job candidates who were still working at Cupertino and interviewing with OpenAI to bring in real components — including batteries, logic boards and modules — for “show and tell” sessions designed to extract confidential information. He is also alleged to have used code names for unannounced internal Apple projects to ask candidates directly “what’s the plan” during interviews. The complaint further claims he circulated an internal Apple document titled “Need to Know” among new hires — a file outlining the security procedures applied to departing employees — to teach them how to evade exit checks.
The suit also names Chang Liu, an electrical engineer who spent eight years at Apple before moving to OpenAI in January 2026. Apple alleges Liu failed to return his company laptop and exploited an authentication flaw to access a former colleague’s shared network folders, downloading dozens of confidential documents covering unannounced products, technical presentations and design specifications.
Apple further accuses OpenAI of using the stolen information to approach its contract suppliers directly, persuading one of them to carry out a proprietary metal-finishing technique by falsely claiming it had Apple’s authorization.
What Cupertino is demanding
Apple is seeking a jury trial, an injunction ordering OpenAI to immediately stop using the misappropriated information, the return of all improperly obtained material, and a redesign of OpenAI’s upcoming products so that they include no Apple technology. The complaint also brings breach-of-contract claims against Tan and Liu, both of whom signed confidentiality agreements with Apple.
Apple says it sent OpenAI a letter back in February flagging its suspicions and never received a response. An OpenAI spokesperson said the company has no interest in other firms’ trade secrets and remains focused on developing technology that empowers people worldwide.
The lawsuit lands at a delicate moment for OpenAI, which is gearing up for a stock market listing widely seen as one of the most closely watched in recent Silicon Valley history.
Editor’s note
This article was originally published in Italian on money.it by Alessandro Nuzzo on July 11, 2026 as «È guerra tra Apple e OpenAI. Furto di segreti commerciali, Cook gli fa causa». It has been translated and adapted for an international audience by the Money.it International desk.
