OpenAI issued a statement denying Apple’s allegations of trade secret theft in a lawsuit filed July 10, 2026.

Apple’s complaint, filed in a California court, names former employees Chang Liu and Tang Tan as well as OpenAI and its io Products division. The filing alleges that the defendants misappropriated Apple’s confidential hardware information to advance OpenAI’s consumer hardware initiatives. According to the complaint, the individuals accessed Apple’s systems without authorization, disclosed unreleased product details to job candidates, and used proprietary manufacturing information to approach Apple suppliers.

The lawsuit builds on an earlier dispute in which hardware startup iyO sued OpenAI and io Products over branding and, in a March 2026 amendment, added claims of trade‑secret misappropriation involving Tang Tan, a former iyO engineer alleged to have transferred confidential files to a former Apple executive. OpenAI has contested those allegations.

OpenAI’s director of strategic communications, Drew Pusateri, posted on X that the company “has no interest in other companies’ trade secrets” and “remains focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere.”