On July 10, 2026, Apple filed suit against OpenAI and others in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleging that trade secrets tied to unreleased hardware were misappropriated "at an institutional level" through former Apple employees. Apple seeks monetary damages, the return of stolen IP, and injunctive relief.
July 10, 2026 · N.D. Cal. Federal Court
Apple Sues OpenAI Over Alleged "Institutional" Theft of Hardware Secrets
Apple alleges trade secrets tied to unreleased hardware were misappropriated through former employees who moved to OpenAI's device unit. The complaint invokes "hundreds of billions of dollars, decades of work." The facts remain to be tested in court.
$6.4B
OpenAI's May 2025 acquisition of io Products, the Jony Ive–led hardware startup
4
Main defendants: OpenAI, Tang Tan, Chang Liu, io Products
Feb 2027
Earliest reported ship date for OpenAI's first device — still unreleased
The Case at a Glance
Filing date
July 10, 2026
Jurisdiction
U.S. District Court, N.D. California
Relief sought
Damages · Return of IP · Injunction
Products at issue
All unannounced & unreleased
Alleged Methods in the Complaint
• A "show and tell" — candidates still at Apple asked to bring actual components to interviews• A departing engineer allegedly kept an Apple laptop and used an authentication bug to download dozens of confidential files• Coaching departing employees on evading security • Sharing proprietary metal finishing techniques with suppliers under misleading pretenses
From Partners to Adversaries
ChatGPT in Siri
Prior partnership
→
io acquired
OpenAI enters AI hardware
→
Lawsuit filed
Apple alleges stolen "playbook"
Apple's Claim
Misappropriation "at an institutional level" of circuit designs, power management, manufacturing, and finishing know-how — the theft of a vertically integrated hardware playbook.
OpenAI's Response
Only a general reply reported — asserting it has no interest in others' trade secrets. Jony Ive is not named as a defendant and no involvement is alleged.
The litigation is ongoing. No products have shipped, and the facts remain to be tested in court.
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