Apple Sues OpenAI, Alleging Systematic Theft of Hardware Trade Secrets by Recruited Employees

Apple has sued OpenAI and two of its former engineers, accusing the AI company of running a coordinated campaign to poach Apple staff and extract confidential hardware secrets to accelerate its push into consumer devices. The complaint, filed July 10, 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, marks a dramatic escalation in a relationship that began as a high-profile partnership and has curdled into open legal conflict.