Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its hardware chief, accusing the ChatGPT developer of orchestrating a coordinated campaign to obtain confidential information for its forthcoming family of artificial intelligence devices.
According to newly filed court records, Apple alleges that OpenAI misappropriated trade secrets as it recruited employees with knowledge of the iPhone maker’s closely guarded hardware-development processes. The complaint reportedly focuses on information that could help it accelerate its expansion into consumer electronics.
The allegations have not been proven in court, and OpenAI has yet to issue a public response to the lawsuit.
The company’s hardware division is led by former Apple executive Tang Tan, who previously oversaw the design of major products, including the iPhone and Apple Watch. Tan left Apple in 2024 to join a hardware venture established by former Apple design chief Jony Ive, whose company was subsequently acquired by OpenAI.
The transaction, announced in 2025 and valued at approximately 6.5 billion dollars, brought a team of prominent former Apple designers and engineers into the company. Ive’s design firm, LoveFrom, has since been working with the company on what OpenAI has described as a new family of AI-focused products.
It has also recruited dozens of employees from Apple as it builds its hardware operation, according to previous reports. The departures have intensified competition between the companies, which initially became partners when Apple integrated ChatGPT into Siri and other parts of its operating systems.
That relationship has since shown signs of strain. OpenAI reportedly explored potential legal options against Apple earlier this year amid disagreements over their ChatGPT integration and the commercial benefits of the partnership. Apple has also expanded its work with competing AI providers, reducing OpenAI’s prospects of becoming the exclusive external model available on Apple devices.
