Apple filed a lawsuit in a California court accusing former employees of stealing trade secrets, which were then used to develop hardware for OpenAI, before OpenAI denied all allegations.
Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, accusing former Apple employees of stealing trade secrets to benefit OpenAI. The complaint states this case concerns former Apple employees who misappropriated Apple's trade secrets for OpenAI's advantage. Apple filed this suit to stop such conduct.
Apple's complaint names several defendants, including former Apple employees Chang Liu and Tang Tan, as well as OpenAI and the company io Products.
Tang Tan formerly served as Apple's Vice President of Product Design, overseeing the design of the iPhone and Apple Watch, before resigning in February 2024 to join Jony Ive. Chang Liu worked at Apple for eight years as a senior electrical systems engineer before leaving to join OpenAI in January 2026.
OpenAI's hardware team is led by Jony Ive, former Chief Design Officer at Apple, after OpenAI acquired Ive's startup io for about $6.5 billion USD (roughly 216 billion Thai baht) in 2025. However, Ive and the two other io co-founders are not named as defendants in this complaint.
Apple stated it raised these concerns directly with OpenAI in February but received no response, emphasizing that the behavior described in the complaint represents only the "tip of the iceberg."
Apple's complaint seeks a temporary restraining order and damages. The lawsuit arises as OpenAI prepares to launch its first consumer hardware device. This legal action follows a Bloomberg report that OpenAI plans legal action against Apple over ChatGPT and Siri collaboration, but the complaint clarifies it is unrelated to that agreement. It also notes that over 400 former Apple employees currently work at OpenAI.
Following the lawsuit, OpenAI’s Director of Strategic Communications Drew Pusateri posted on X on behalf of the company, stating OpenAI "has no interest in other companies' trade secrets" and remains "committed to creating innovative technology to empower people worldwide." Previously, startup iyO sued OpenAI and io Products over brand name use, later amending its complaint in March 2026 to add trade secret allegations and include the defendants named here, which OpenAI also denied.