# Apple Sues OpenAI for Trade Secret Theft

> Apple has taken OpenAI to court, accusing the ChatGPT maker of running a systematic campaign to lift its trade secrets. According to the suit, OpenAI's hardware chief Tang Tan, who spent 24 years at Apple and rose to vice president before leaving, directed staff to extract confidential information and even folded secret-sharing into the interview process. Apple points to former engineer Chang Liu, who it says walked off with a proprietary laptop, and claims OpenAI coached departing employees on how to slip past its security checks. The material at stake reportedly includes unreleased project code names, unannounced technologies, internal engineering presentations, and even proprietary metal-finishing methods. That last detail hints at what the fight is really about: OpenAI is building its first piece of hardware, and more than 400 former Apple employees now work there. Whether or not the specific claims hold up, the case captures a genuine tension in the industry. Talent moves fast between the biggest players, and when a software company reaches for physical devices, the line between hiring expertise and importing secrets gets tested in ways that courts, not engineers, end up settling.

_Section: [Daily AI Updates](https://www.wortins.com/daily-ai) · Source: TechCrunch · Published Monday, July 13, 2026_

## Wortins' read

Apple has taken OpenAI to court, accusing the ChatGPT maker of running a systematic campaign to lift its trade secrets. According to the suit, OpenAI's hardware chief Tang Tan, who spent 24 years at Apple and rose to vice president before leaving, directed staff to extract confidential information and even folded secret-sharing into the interview process. Apple points to former engineer Chang Liu, who it says walked off with a proprietary laptop, and claims OpenAI coached departing employees on how to slip past its security checks. The material at stake reportedly includes unreleased project code names, unannounced technologies, internal engineering presentations, and even proprietary metal-finishing methods. That last detail hints at what the fight is really about: OpenAI is building its first piece of hardware, and more than 400 former Apple employees now work there. Whether or not the specific claims hold up, the case captures a genuine tension in the industry. Talent moves fast between the biggest players, and when a software company reaches for physical devices, the line between hiring expertise and importing secrets gets tested in ways that courts, not engineers, end up settling.

## Source

[Read the full story at TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/10/apple-sues-openai-over-alleged-trade-secret-theft/)

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