OpenAl Slams Apple's "Personal" Lawsuit: Releases Leaked Emails To Disprove Trade Secret Theft

The legal battle over OpenAI's consumer hardware push intensifies as the startup targets Apple’s statutory compliance under trade secret frameworks. By proving Apple failed to revoke system permissions and routinely communicated with departed staff for technical assistance, OpenAI's defense strikes at the legal requirement that a plaintiff must maintain 'reasonable measures' of secrecy.

In a public rebuttal to Apple's lawsuit, OpenAI released internal emails, text messages and other communications which, it says, contradict the iPhone maker's allegations that former Apple employees improperly retained and exploited confidential information after joining the AI company. OpenAI described Apple's lawsuit as "careless, aggressive and oddly personal," insisting that it neither solicited nor used Apple's proprietary information in developing its hardware products.

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A central plank of OpenAI's defence concerns former Apple engineer Chang Liu, whom Apple has accused of retaining access to confidential company material after leaving the firm. OpenAI has published messages purportedly showing Apple employees repeatedly contacting Liu after his departure, seeking his assistance in locating files, explaining technical decisions and answering engineering-related questions. According to OpenAI, these exchanges demonstrate that Apple itself continued relying on Liu's knowledge even after his employment ended.

OpenAI has also argued that any continued access to Apple's internal systems resulted from Apple's own failure to disable permissions during the employee offboarding process. The company contends that such lapses weaken Apple's assertion that it exercised reasonable efforts to safeguard its trade secrets, a necessary element for protection under trade secret law.

The AI company further disputed Apple's claim that it ignored attempts to engage over the alleged misuse of confidential information. According to OpenAI, Apple's outside counsel mistakenly contacted the wrong individual because of confusion between similarly named employees before later acknowledging the error. OpenAI says the episode undermines Apple's narrative that it failed to cooperate with the company's inquiries.

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Apple's lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, accuses OpenAI, its hardware leadership and former Apple employees Tang Tan and Chang Liu of orchestrating a scheme to obtain confidential information relating to unreleased hardware, supplier relationships and product development. Apple has sought injunctive relief, expedited discovery and the return of alleged trade secrets, claiming OpenAI's consumer hardware ambitions were built on misappropriated confidential information.

OpenAI maintains that its hardware programme has been developed independently and in accordance with policies prohibiting the use of another company's confidential information. While its public release of emails and messages is not part of its formal court filings, the company has sought to cast doubt on Apple's allegations by arguing that the evidence reveals shortcomings in Apple's own internal security and offboarding practices.