Apple’s claim that OpenAI “never responded” to its February concerns over alleged trade-secret theft is now complicated by an email mix-up that reportedly ended settlement talks before they properly began.
NBC News reports that OpenAI did answer Apple’s initial outreach. The exchange then broke down after an outside Apple lawyer sent a follow-up message thanking OpenAI general counsel Che Chang for a phone call that had not occurred. The lawyer had apparently spoken with a different OpenAI employee, a former Apple staffer surnamed Wang, and replied on the wrong email thread.
According to NBC News, Apple’s outside counsel had sent Chang a formal warning regarding former Apple employees allegedly retaining confidential material. Thirteen minutes later, the same lawyer emailed Chang to acknowledge what he described as a productive phone conversation.
Chang replied that he did not know the attorney and had never spoken with him. OpenAI interpreted the message as potentially creating a false paper trail, NBC reported, and demanded that Apple remove the lawyer from the matter. Apple’s in-house legal team apologized for the error, but communications between the companies subsequently stalled.
That account matters because Apple’s July 10 complaint states that it attempted to resolve its concerns directly in February and that OpenAI did not respond. NBC’s reporting does not settle the underlying dispute, but it shows the companies did communicate — briefly and unsuccessfully — before Apple filed suit.
Apple says OpenAI recruited employees with access to confidential device-development information and encouraged the transfer of materials including product designs, manufacturing processes, and supply-chain details. The company is seeking damages, return or destruction of allegedly confidential material, preservation of evidence, and court orders preventing further use or disclosure.
OpenAI has denied the substance of the allegations. Its chief legal officer said the company had seen no evidence supporting Apple’s claims and said OpenAI has no interest in other companies’ trade secrets.
For Windows users and IT admins, there is no immediate product or service impact: this is a corporate-hardware and intellectual-property case, not a change to ChatGPT for Windows, Microsoft’s OpenAI integrations, or Windows itself.
The next meaningful development will be OpenAI’s formal response to Apple’s complaint and the court’s early handling of Apple’s requests to preserve evidence and restrict alleged trade-secret use.
NBC News reports that OpenAI did answer Apple’s initial outreach. The exchange then broke down after an outside Apple lawyer sent a follow-up message thanking OpenAI general counsel Che Chang for a phone call that had not occurred. The lawyer had apparently spoken with a different OpenAI employee, a former Apple staffer surnamed Wang, and replied on the wrong email thread.
A damaging mistake before the lawsuit
According to NBC News, Apple’s outside counsel had sent Chang a formal warning regarding former Apple employees allegedly retaining confidential material. Thirteen minutes later, the same lawyer emailed Chang to acknowledge what he described as a productive phone conversation.Chang replied that he did not know the attorney and had never spoken with him. OpenAI interpreted the message as potentially creating a false paper trail, NBC reported, and demanded that Apple remove the lawyer from the matter. Apple’s in-house legal team apologized for the error, but communications between the companies subsequently stalled.
That account matters because Apple’s July 10 complaint states that it attempted to resolve its concerns directly in February and that OpenAI did not respond. NBC’s reporting does not settle the underlying dispute, but it shows the companies did communicate — briefly and unsuccessfully — before Apple filed suit.
What Apple is alleging
Apple sued OpenAI, io Products, and former Apple employees Tang Yew Tan and Chang Liu in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The complaint alleges trade-secret misappropriation and breach of contract connected to OpenAI’s consumer-hardware work.Apple says OpenAI recruited employees with access to confidential device-development information and encouraged the transfer of materials including product designs, manufacturing processes, and supply-chain details. The company is seeking damages, return or destruction of allegedly confidential material, preservation of evidence, and court orders preventing further use or disclosure.
OpenAI has denied the substance of the allegations. Its chief legal officer said the company had seen no evidence supporting Apple’s claims and said OpenAI has no interest in other companies’ trade secrets.
Why the pre-suit exchange matters
The mistaken email is unlikely to decide whether Apple can prove its trade-secret claims. But it may become relevant if either side argues that the other refused to negotiate, mishandled evidence, or acted unreasonably before litigation. It also hands OpenAI a straightforward challenge to one part of Apple’s public account of the dispute.For Windows users and IT admins, there is no immediate product or service impact: this is a corporate-hardware and intellectual-property case, not a change to ChatGPT for Windows, Microsoft’s OpenAI integrations, or Windows itself.
The next meaningful development will be OpenAI’s formal response to Apple’s complaint and the court’s early handling of Apple’s requests to preserve evidence and restrict alleged trade-secret use.
References
- Primary source: Android Headlines
Published: 2026-07-15T21:58:36+00:00
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www.androidheadlines.com - Independent coverage: NBC News
Published: 2026-07-14T21:18:57.030000+00:00
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www.nbcnews.com - Related coverage: tomshardware.com
Apple sues OpenAI over alleged theft of trade secrets — claims company mentored incoming employees on bringing confidential information | Tom's Hardware
The chief hardware officer and io Products are also named.www.tomshardware.com - Related coverage: axios.com
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www.axios.com - Related coverage: techradar.com
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www.techradar.com - Related coverage: 9to5mac.com
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