OpenAI Publishes Internal Emails in Response to Apple Lawsuit
OpenAI released screenshots and emails to counter Apple’s lawsuit alleging theft of trade secrets, calling the claim unfounded and highlighting a misdirected lawyer email.
Apple has sued OpenAI, alleging that former Apple employee Chang Liu downloaded confidential documents after joining the AI firm and that another former executive, Tang Tan, helped bypass security protocols. Apple seeks a preliminary injunction to prevent disclosure of any alleged trade secrets during the case.
In a blog post on Tuesday, OpenAI described the lawsuit as a baseless "witch hunt" and said it possesses evidence to refute the accusations. The company posted redacted screenshots that it says show Liu assisting former colleagues with accessibility issues in Apple’s internal systems, arguing that any breach resulted from Apple’s handling of system access after employee departures.
OpenAI also shared email excerpts involving Apple’s outside counsel, Gabriel Gross, who contacted OpenAI’s general counsel Che Cheng about “former Apple employees at OpenAI retaining non-public, confidential, and proprietary information.” Gross later apologized for confusing Cheng with another employee, a mistake OpenAI highlighted in its post.
"Apple’s request for a preliminary injunction is based on false information and completely unnecessary because we do not have, nor want, any of their trade secrets," OpenAI wrote.
The dispute follows Apple’s claim that it first reached out to OpenAI in February to raise concerns, a point OpenAI disputes, stating that the lawyer’s email was misdirected. Legal experts note the case could be lengthy, with implications for OpenAI’s emerging hardware initiatives.