OpenAI Fights Apple's Lawsuit, Releases Chat Logs as Evidence
OpenAI
OpenAI has responded to Apple's trade secrets lawsuit with a blog post, accusing Apple of sloppy and unnecessarily aggressive tactics. The company released iMessage logs that appear to show Apple employees themselves asked former colleague Chang Liu for technical information after his departure. OpenAI also highlighted embarrassing mistakes by Apple's legal team, including confusing two Asian surnames and falsely claiming a phone call with OpenAI's general counsel.
OpenAI has publicly responded to Apple's trade secrets lawsuit by publishing chat logs that contradict Apple's allegations. The lawsuit accuses ex-Apple engineer Chang Liu of improperly accessing confidential Apple information after moving to OpenAI. However, the released iMessage transcripts show that Apple employees repeatedly contacted Liu after his last day (January 22, 2026), asking for technical help and internal files. In one message, an employee wrote that Liu was 'the best' despite no longer working there; Liu provided technical details but later asked to be removed from a group chat, saying it was 'highly inappropriate.' OpenAI argues this shows residual access is a known Apple issue due to poor access management. The lawsuit also claims that over 400 former Apple employees now work at OpenAI, and that OpenAI's hardware ambitions involve Jony Ive's startup io Products. Additionally, OpenAI revealed that Apple's external lawyer sent a letter to the wrong person, confusing two Asian surnames, and falsely claimed to have called OpenAI's general counsel; both mistakes were acknowledged only after OpenAI pointed them out. The lawyer said they were 'clarifying any issues' but then went silent for five months before filing the suit. OpenAI also defended Tang Tan, a former Apple executive, saying he always made clear that confidential information from other companies was unwelcome.
Source: The Decoder (DE) —
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