Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, its hardware partner io, and two former Apple employees, alleging theft of trade secrets related to AI hardware development. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, claims that OpenAI's chief hardware officer, Tang Tan, and former Apple engineer Chang Liu improperly accessed and shared confidential information. Apple alleges that Tan directed job candidates to bring Apple parts to interviews, while Liu exploited a network bug to download files on unreleased products. OpenAI has denied the allegations, stating it has no interest in other companies' trade secrets.
The lawsuit has reignited tensions between OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Tesla/SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015 but later parted ways. Musk has publicly criticized Altman, calling him "Scam Altman" on social media, while Altman has fired back at Musk's SpaceX ambitions. The two billionaires have been engaged in a public feud for years, including a lawsuit filed by Musk against OpenAI and Altman, which a federal jury ruled against in May 2024. Musk plans to appeal the decision.
Meanwhile, both companies continue to advance their AI models, with OpenAI recently releasing GPT-5.6 Sol and SpaceX unveiling Grok 4.5. The lawsuit raises questions about the future of AI hardware development and the competitive landscape between tech giants.