Lawsuit Overview
Apple Inc. filed a lawsuit on Friday, 11 July 2026, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, alleging that OpenAI has misappropriated Apple’s trade secrets.
Defendants
The complaint names OpenAI and two former Apple employees, Chang Liu and Tang Yew Tan, as defendants. Tang Yew Tan is currently OpenAI’s chief hardware officer, while Chang Liu is accused of stealing dozens of confidential hardware files after moving to OpenAI.
Alleged Misappropriation
Apple alleges that Tang Yew Tan is using Apple’s trade secrets in his role at OpenAI. The suit further claims that Chang Liu removed dozens of confidential hardware files from Apple and provided them to OpenAI.
Apple also contends that OpenAI instructed job candidates to bring Apple prototypes and design artifacts to interviews, and that OpenAI queried Apple suppliers with highly specific questions about manufacturing processes and components that only insiders would know. Additionally, OpenAI is accused of persuading an Apple partner to apply Apple’s metal‑finishing techniques to OpenAI’s hardware development, in violation of contractual limits.
Context
The filing represents a sharp escalation in the dispute between Apple and the ChatGPT maker that has been developing over several months.