OpenAI published a detailed rebuttal on August 3 to Apple's trade secrets lawsuit, alleging that Apple's legal filing contains false claims, an email sent to the wrong person, and a mischaracterization of routine post-employment interactions between former Apple employees and their old colleagues.
The blog post, titled "Apple is getting this wrong," is OpenAI's first substantive response since Apple sued the company and two former Apple employees -- Tang Tan and Chang Liu -- in July. Apple's complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, accuses OpenAI of conducting a coordinated campaign to steal hardware trade secrets, including product designs, manufacturing processes, and supply chain strategies [1].
OpenAI's rebuttal makes several specific counterclaims. The company says Apple initially claimed it contacted OpenAI in February and received no response, but later admitted its outside lawyers "emailed the wrong person after confusing two Asian last names." Apple also claimed it held a discussion with OpenAI's General Counsel, which OpenAI says "they now concede never happened" [2].
The most striking element of OpenAI's response is the publication of iMessage logs between former Apple engineer Chang Liu and Apple employees who remained at the company. The messages, dated from January 22 through January 27, 2026, show Apple colleagues repeatedly asking Liu for help locating files and discussing product decisions after his departure. One Apple employee messaged Liu about a shipping decision, adding: "Even if you don't work here anymore." Liu's last day at Apple was January 22 [2].
OpenAI argues these messages undercut Apple's narrative that Liu improperly accessed confidential information after leaving. Instead, OpenAI claims Apple employees actively sought Liu's help, and that "residual access" to systems after employee departures is "a common issue with Apple which is caused by them failing to properly manage system access when people leave" [2].
Regarding Tang Tan, Apple's former vice president of product design for iPhone and Apple Watch who served the company for over 24 years, OpenAI states that Tan "has always been clear with the team that we do not want, and must not use, any confidential information from other companies" [2].
Apple is seeking a preliminary injunction. OpenAI calls the request "based on false information and completely unnecessary because we do not have, nor want, any of their trade secrets" [2].
The exchange marks a sharp escalation in tensions between the two companies. OpenAI recently forged a high-profile partnership with Apple to integrate ChatGPT into Apple devices, making the legal conflict notable beyond the immediate allegations.
Apple has not yet publicly responded to OpenAI's August 3 rebuttal.
Sources: Fortune, "Apple accuses OpenAI of stealing hardware trade secrets in blockbuster lawsuit," July 10, 2026: https://fortune.com/2026/07/10/apple-openai-lawsuit-trade-secrets-theft-allegations OpenAI, "Apple is getting this wrong," August 3, 2026: https://openai.com/index/apple-is-getting-this-wrong/
