OpenAI has taken Apple’s trade secret lawsuit public, publishing a blog post in August 2026 that includes iMessage and email exchanges it says contradict key claims in Apple’s legal complaint. The post, titled “Apple is getting this wrong,” describes Apple’s lawsuit as “careless, aggressive, and oddly personal.”
Apple filed the lawsuit last month, centering its allegations on two former employees who joined OpenAI: Chang Liu, a former iPhone engineer now on OpenAI’s technical team, and Tang Tan, who spent 25 years at Apple overseeing iPhone and Apple Watch design before becoming OpenAI’s chief hardware officer. Apple alleges both took “secret and confidential information regarding our unreleased technologies, processes, and products” to benefit OpenAI’s hardware efforts. On Monday, Apple also requested a preliminary injunction to prevent Liu, Tan, and OpenAI from accessing, using, or disclosing the alleged confidential information while the case proceeds.
Apple’s complaint accuses Liu of failing to return a company-owned computer, exploiting an authentication vulnerability to access Apple’s cloud storage after his departure, downloading confidential files, and coaching a colleague on how to do the same while avoiding Apple’s security team. OpenAI counters that Apple employees contacted Liu after he left and asked for his help locating files, and that the access issue stems from Apple’s own failure to revoke system permissions when employees depart.
Regarding Tan, Apple alleges he solicited confidential Apple information during job interviews with Apple employees. OpenAI says Tan “has always been clear with the team that we do not want, and must not use, any confidential information from other companies.”
OpenAI also disputed Apple’s claim that it ignored initial outreach, saying Apple’s outside lawyers emailed the wrong person after confusing two Asian last names, and never spoke with OpenAI’s General Counsel.
OpenAI’s blog post is not a formal legal filing, but the move to publish private communications suggests the company is working to shape public perception of the dispute as it plays out in court.
Source: The Verge