OpenAI posted a trove of internal communications on its website on Thursday, aiming to dismantle Apple’s trade‑secret lawsuit filed in July. The lawsuit targets OpenAI and two former Apple executives, Chang Liu and Tang Yew Tan, alleging that the AI company obtained and used confidential hardware designs and specifications.
In a detailed response, OpenAI called the suit “careless, aggressive and oddly personal.” The firm says the allegations rest on misunderstandings about how former employees retain access to company systems after they leave. OpenAI points to Apple’s own admission that its staff reached out to Liu after his departure, seeking help locating certain confidential files.
According to the newly released emails, Apple’s legal complaint claims Liu “surreptitiously accessed and downloaded dozens of confidential hardware‑related files,” including unreleased product details, engineering presentations, technical specifications, and proprietary project data. OpenAI counters that Liu’s interactions with Apple after he left were initiated by Apple, not by OpenAI, and that any residual access stemmed from Apple’s failure to properly revoke system permissions for departing staff.
Apple also accused Tan, a 24‑year veteran who served as Apple’s vice president of product design, of directing job candidates still employed at Apple to bring actual hardware parts to OpenAI interviews. The company alleges Tan used those meetings to solicit additional confidential information. OpenAI’s defense of Tan is brief but firm: the company maintains that Tan has consistently instructed his team that OpenAI does not want, nor will it use, any confidential information from other firms.
OpenAI further disputes Apple’s claim that it tried to contact the AI company in February and received no response. The AI firm says Apple’s outreach went to the wrong person because of a mix‑up between two similar Asian last names, implying the alleged silence never occurred.
The documents posted include chat transcripts between Liu and his former Apple colleagues, as well as email threads between Apple’s legal team and OpenAI. OpenAI argues that these records show Apple’s narrative is built on selective interpretation and that the residual‑access issue is a common industry challenge, not a deliberate act of espionage by OpenAI.
Legal analysts note that the case hinges on whether Apple can prove that OpenAI knowingly used confidential material and whether the residual access was indeed a systemic oversight on Apple’s part. The public release of the communications may pressure Apple to clarify its internal access‑control policies, a point OpenAI highlights as a broader industry concern.
Both sides have pledged to continue the fight in court. Apple has not yet responded publicly to OpenAI’s latest disclosures, and the lawsuit remains pending in federal court.
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