OpenAI says Apple's trade-secret case is Apple's own mess

OpenAI told a federal court in San Jose that Apple's trade-secret lawsuit is "a mess of Apple's own making." In a late Monday filing, the ChatGPT maker said Apple had not shown that confidential hardware information was stolen by former employees now working on OpenAI's device push.

Apple sued OpenAI and former Apple staff, including Chang Liu and Tang Tan, in July. It alleges misappropriation of hardware design, manufacturing, and supply-chain secrets as OpenAI builds consumer devices. Court papers from both sides say OpenAI has hired on the order of 400 people from Apple for that effort.

Apple's newest filings lean on forensic work on a MacBook tied to Liu. Apple says he downloaded a confidential circuit schematic after leaving, synced material toward OpenAI gear, ran simulations in LTspice, and discussed using an AI agent on those sims. Apple also says messages show talk of destroying forensic traces after an internal probe surfaced.

OpenAI's reply flips the blame. It argues Apple's offboarding and security practices are weak, that some access happened at Apple's own request, and that the suit is meant to slow a rival and scare departing talent. Briefing on OpenAI's motion to dismiss is complete. Arguments are set for 1 October.

Two of the most powerful firms in consumer tech are now fighting in open court over people, chips, and who gets to build the next gadget. If Apple wins early injunctions, OpenAI's hardware work could freeze. If OpenAI wins dismissal, Apple's talent-war strategy takes a public hit.

For everyone else, the case is also a warning about what happens when employees leave with laptops, cloud sync, and AI tools that can learn from whatever they feed them.

1 October is the hearing date for the dismissal fight and Apple's push for a preliminary injunction. Discovery fights over devices and logs will shape whatever the judge allows into evidence before then.