Apple and ChatGPT spying war / accused of stealing trade secrets

The legal battle between Apple and OpenAI has entered a new phase.

Disputes over trade secrets between tech giants have reached new dimensions. While Apple itself had previously filed a case against its former employees for allegedly stealing data for the benefit of OpenAI, now ChatGPT is making the same accusation against Apple. This legal dispute started in 2026.

OpenAI accuses Apple; Stealing hardware secrets

OpenAI claims that an employee returned to Apple in June 2026 after six months at the company. This person is accused of taking confidential details of an OpenAI hardware device to Apple and providing it to Apple's vice president of operations in Asia. OpenAI believes this information played a role in the development of Apple's artificial intelligence products, such as HomeView. OpenAI says it has raised the issue with Apple, but has not received a response.

While rejecting the accusations of data theft, Apple emphasizes its strict policies in this regard. In a statement to Reuters, an Apple spokesperson emphasized that the company has "policies and procedures in place to ensure that new employees do not use confidential information." Apple itself filed a lawsuit against its former employees, Tang Yu Tan and Chang Liu, in July 2026 (July 1405). Apple claims that these people have stolen its trade secrets for the benefit of OpenAI by abusing iCloud. OpenAI also denied these accusations and referred to its internal procedures. The complex legal case is still ongoing, and Judge Edward Dávila recently granted Apple's request for access to OpenAI employee information.