According to TechCrunch, Apple filed a lawsuit Friday against OpenAI over allegations of trade secret theft and breach of contract, with the filing dated July 10, 2026 (E1). The complaint alleges the misconduct "was directed by OpenAI's senior leadership, including Chief Hardware Officer Tang Tan" (E2).
Specific claims outlined in the filing include Tan "using Apple's confidential project code names during OpenAI's recruiting process, asking job candidates to bring in Apple hardware components to their interviews, coaching departing Apple employees on how to evade the company's security procedures, and asking for details about the company's unannounced products" (E3). A separate allegation involves "a proprietary metal finishing technique that OpenAI used after it allegedly misled a partner into believing it had Apple's permission to do so" (E9). TechCrunch also reports that OpenAI circulated an internal Apple document marked "Need to know" to new hires, explaining how to avoid the "dreaded walkout" — the immediate removal process Apple uses when employees give notice, which otherwise would cut off the two-week window OpenAI allegedly wanted new hires to use to access confidential information (E23).
Per TechCrunch, Tang Tan spent 24 years at Apple, most recently serving as VP of product design for the iPhone and Apple Watch, before joining OpenAI as its Chief Hardware Officer (E4). The lawsuit names him as the alleged director of the broader pattern of misconduct (E2), including the recruiting-process abuses described above (E3).
TechCrunch's follow-up coverage adds a specific detail: OpenAI job candidates who worked at Apple were allegedly directed by Tan to bring "actual parts" from Apple to their OpenAI interviews for "show and tell sessions." One candidate told Apple he "didn't even realize that Apple parts could be taken out of the office" (E22).
According to Ars Technica, Apple alleges that Chang Liu, who spent eight years at Apple as a senior systems electrical engineer, failed to return an Apple-issued laptop after leaving for OpenAI in 2026 and used the computer to download confidential Apple technical documents (E7).
The complaint states Liu left Apple for OpenAI in January 2026, and on February 9, discovered an "authentication bug" that was unknown to Apple at the time (E15). Over the following weeks, "while developing hardware for OpenAI, Mr. Liu surreptitiously accessed and downloaded dozens of Apple's confidential hardware-related files, including voluminous, detailed information about unreleased products, engineering presentations, technical specifications, and proprietary project data," the lawsuit claims (E16). Liu allegedly messaged a colleague, Yu-Ting "Alyssa" Peng: "LOL... I found out I can access the [network storage], so funny" (E17). Per TechCrunch's follow-up report, Apple claims Liu accessed its systems by exploiting the bug from Peng's Apple-issued work computer; Peng later left Apple to join OpenAI herself but is not named as a defendant (E21).
Ars Technica reports Apple is "demanding steep penalties after stumbling on a 'rare' bug that temporarily allowed a poached employee that joined OpenAI to maintain access to confidential information on Apple servers for weeks after his termination" (E14). The bug was discovered on February 9, 2026, as noted above (E15). Apple's complaint states that once Liu's messages surfaced, the issue was addressed: "Although Apple is still investigating, server logs show that, unlike Mr. Liu, the few other users affected by this bug do not appear to have accessed or stolen Apple's confidential information" (E18).
Beyond the code-name and hardware-component allegations already described (E3), TechCrunch reports the complaint claims OpenAI circulated the "Need to know"-marked Apple document to new hires to help them dodge the immediate walkout procedure (E23), and describes candidates being asked to bring physical Apple parts to interviews (E22). The scale of personnel movement cited in the filing is notable: TechCrunch reports the complaint reveals "over four hundred former Apple employees now working at OpenAI" (E24).
io, the device startup founded by former Apple lead designer Jony Ive, was acquired by OpenAI last year in a $6.5 billion deal to support OpenAI's hardware ambitions, according to TechCrunch (E6). The same metal-finishing allegation referenced above (E9) is directly tied to io in TechCrunch's follow-up reporting: the complaint states io "access[ed], exploited and used Apple's secret, proprietary industrial design techniques, processes, and know-how related to metal-finishing," and io is now named as a defendant in the lawsuit alongside OpenAI (E25).
TechCrunch reports Apple is asking the court to bar OpenAI from using or disclosing its trade secrets, require the company to return any confidential Apple materials, and preserve evidence related to the case (E10). The complaint frames the disclosed incidents as only a fraction of the alleged problem: "This is the tip of the iceberg. Apple lacks visibility into what's been happening behind closed doors at OpenAI, where such misconduct is normalized and exemplified by leadership... OpenAI's nascent hardware business now rests on the shakiest of foundations, rotten to its core by its illegal reliance on misappropriated trade secrets" (E11). Apple's filing further asserts that "discovery will expose that the misappropriation has been occurring on a scale many times greater than the several instances described below" (E20). TechCrunch notes the 41-page complaint filed on July 10 is "filled with unusually detailed allegations" (E19). Apple's official statement said: "Recently, significant evidence has emerged suggesting individuals employed by OpenAI wrongfully took Apple's secret and confidential information regarding our unreleased technologies, processes, and products. We will always defend our teams' hard work and innovations, and we are taking all appropriate steps to do so" (E12).
According to TechCrunch, Apple sent a letter to OpenAI in February 2026 to raise its concerns and received no response, the company said in its complaint (E8). Following the lawsuit's filing, OpenAI responded on X: "We have no interest in other companies' trade secrets. We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere" (E13).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Tang Tan's tenure at Apple | 24 years | TechCrunch |
| Chang Liu's tenure at Apple | 8 years | TechCrunch |
| io acquisition price by OpenAI | $6.5 billion | TechCrunch |
| Former Apple employees now at OpenAI | 400+ | TechCrunch |
| Length of Apple's complaint | 41 pages | TechCrunch |
| Date bug was discovered by Liu | Feb 9, 2026 | Ars Technica |
| Apple's letter to OpenAI with no response | February 2026 | TechCrunch |
The record shows a gap between OpenAI's public position and the specifics in Apple's filing. OpenAI's statement that it has "no interest in other companies' trade secrets" (E13) sits alongside Apple's claim that discovery will reveal misappropriation "many times greater" than the incidents already detailed (E20) — a claim made even as Apple's own filing acknowledges that the authentication bug exploited by Liu was "rare," was fixed after discovery, and that other affected users "do not appear to have accessed or stolen" confidential data (E18). Apple also disclosed that it raised concerns with OpenAI back in February 2026 and received no response before filing suit in July (E8) — a five-month gap between private notice and public litigation. Meanwhile, the scale of personnel overlap Apple cites, with more than 400 former Apple employees now at OpenAI (E24), underscores why Apple frames individual episodes involving Tan (E2, E3), Liu (E7, E16), and io (E25) as symptoms of a broader pattern rather than isolated incidents.
According to TechCrunch, Apple sent a letter to OpenAI in February 2026 to raise its concerns and received no response, as stated in Apple's complaint (E8).
io is the device startup founded by former Apple designer Jony Ive, acquired by OpenAI for $6.5 billion to support its hardware ambitions (E6). TechCrunch reports io is named as a defendant over allegations it used Apple's proprietary metal-finishing techniques after misleading a partner into believing it had Apple's permission (E25).
OpenAI stated on X, as reported by TechCrunch: "We have no interest in other companies' trade secrets. We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere" (E13).
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