Apple filed a complaint in July 2026 against OpenAI and former employees Tang Tan and Chang Liu, alleging a broad effort to systematically acquire and exploit Apple's confidential information through ex-employees. ^[1] OpenAI denied on 2026-08-31 Apple's allegations that it stole trade secrets, saying Apple did not show that former employees had taken confidential information. ^[2] Apple sued OpenAI and former Apple employees Tang Tan and Chang Liu in July, accusing them of misappropriating trade secrets related to hardware design, manufacturing, and supply-chain operations. ^[3] OpenAI denied Apple's allegations of trade secret theft in a filing late Monday in U.S. District Court in San Jose, California. ^[4] Apple filed a lawsuit alleging that former employees Chang Liu and Tang Tan stole confidential hardware design files after leaving the company to assist OpenAI. ^[5] Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in July, accusing the company of stealing trade secrets. ^[6] Apple filed a motion for expedited discovery on August 31, 2026, alleging that OpenAI employee Chang Liu downloaded a confidential Apple circuit schematic and later sent instructions to a colleague to destroy evidence. ^[7] OpenAI said Apple's lawsuit intends to slow a potential competitor and discourage Apple employees from leaving, noting that OpenAI has hired about 400 former Apple employees to boost its hardware initiative. ^[8] OpenAI stated that the dispute is a mess of Apple's own making and that the iPhone maker is trying to blame everyone else. ^[9] Apple submitted a court filing claiming forensic analysis of a MacBook owned by Chang Liu revealed four pieces of evidence of unlawful access to the company's intellectual property. ^[10] OpenAI filed a legal response stating the situation is 'a mess of Apple's own making' due to the company's failure to protect its data. ^[11] OpenAI accused Apple of filing a meritless lawsuit to hinder its ability to recruit talent and develop competing technology. ^[12]