OpenAI has taken its defense against Apple public. In a company post, it published emails and private messages that it says contradict parts of the iPhone maker’s trade-secret account.
Its release challenges Apple’s description of pre-lawsuit contacts and supplies context for conduct cited in a request for an injunction. OpenAI also rejects allegations involving its hardware leadership, although records on the page support only some of its rebuttal.
No court has determined whether trade secrets were taken or used. Even so, the material disputes several events Apple relied on when seeking immediate restrictions.
What OpenAI’s records dispute
Apple’s lawsuit partly focuses on former engineer Chang Liu, who joined OpenAI after leaving the company. The lawsuit says Liu kept a company computer and later used a colleague’s device that remained authenticated to internal systems. It also accuses him of exploiting an authentication flaw to download confidential hardware files.
Messages in OpenAI’s public response show Apple employees asking Liu for technical details, file locations, and help recalling earlier product decisions after his departure. Requests continued into March, providing context for some of his continued involvement. They did not authorize unrestricted system access or file transfers.
Other exchanges complicate OpenAI’s defense. A workplace device remained connected to Liu’s personal iCloud during a file transfer by a colleague. Liu knew about the connection and asked for iMessage to be signed out because information from his new employer could appear. Another employee later called the former employee’s participation in one discussion “highly irregular” and asked that he be removed.
Separate emails concern Apple’s contact with OpenAI before filing suit. The ChatGPT maker says the February correspondence contained none of the specific allegations later presented in court and that Apple did not follow up on the matter for five months.
OpenAI also denies that hardware executive Tang Tan requested Apple trade secrets. No supporting messages accompany that denial. It separately calls the proposed injunction “completely unnecessary” and says it neither possesses nor wants Apple’s confidential information.
Litigation could expose OpenAI’s hardware work
Apple has asked a federal judge to restrict access to and use of the disputed information during the lawsuit. A ruling at this stage would govern how the material is handled before the court reaches the merits of the case.
Discovery could require OpenAI to reconstruct parts of its hardware program through emails, design records, and employee testimony. The process could reach workers beyond Liu and expose unreleased product material before a judge decides whether he acted improperly.
Employers need controls before and after a departure
Axios reported that more than 400 OpenAI employees previously worked at Apple. Their employment history does not imply misconduct, but movement between competing technology companies makes consistent onboarding and departure controls essential.
Companies recruiting from competitors should establish written rules before a new employee starts. Policies should prohibit using previous-employer files, devices, or accounts. Product teams should also preserve records showing how major designs and technical decisions were developed.
Departing workers’ accounts and active sessions should be closed promptly. Later requests for assistance should use an authorized channel without restoring access to old systems.
OpenAI’s post cannot settle the case. Court proceedings will determine how much weight its records carry and whether confidential Apple material entered the company’s hardware work.
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