OpenAI filed a motion to dismiss Apple’s trade secrets lawsuit in August 2026, arguing that Apple’s own security and offboarding practices undermine its claim that the allegedly stolen information was ever properly protected.
Apple filed its complaint in July 2026, accusing OpenAI of orchestrating a scheme to obtain confidential hardware information from former Apple engineers who had joined the AI company. Apple has since asked the court to expedite discovery, saying its internal investigation suggests additional former employees may have participated in or witnessed the alleged theft.
OpenAI’s motion centers on Apple’s internal practices rather than whether former employees accessed specific information. Newly filed court exhibits include text message records showing that an Apple manager remained logged into the personal iCloud account of former Apple engineer Chang Liu after he left the company — using that access to transfer files and later asking Liu for help with technical questions about Apple projects. OpenAI argues Apple routinely allowed employees to use personal iCloud accounts for work and failed to properly revoke access after their departures.
OpenAI also contends that Apple has failed to identify which specific trade secrets were allegedly stolen, describing Apple’s claims as referring only to “generic categories of the product-development process — such as component manufacturing, product testing, vendor and supplier relationships, and distribution channels.”
In its filing, OpenAI accused Apple of using the lawsuit to slow a competitor rather than protect legitimate secrets. “OpenAI has no use, need or desire for Apple’s trade secrets,” the motion states, adding that Apple “should not be permitted to use a baseless and pretextual lawsuit to make up for its shortcomings in the market for talent and retaining its employees, and its failures to integrate AI into its products.”
The case could have significant implications for how courts define trade secret protections when companies’ own security practices are inconsistent — and for the broader competition between Apple and OpenAI in AI-powered hardware development.
Source: TechCrunch