OpenAI has released internal chat logs to counter Apple’s trade secret lawsuit, claiming the iPhone maker’s own staff repeatedly contacted their former colleague for technical help.
The company argues Apple is pursuing a sloppy and unnecessarily aggressive legal strategy. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in California, alleges former Apple engineer Chang Liu stole confidential information after moving to OpenAI. Apple also claims OpenAI actively encouraged departing staff to take files and specifications during their notice periods.
Apple staff contacted a former colleague
Records show Liu’s final day at Apple was January 22, 2026. On that date and in the weeks after, Apple employees messaged him to request technical advice and help locating internal documents.
A message dated January 27, 2026, shows an Apple employee asking Liu for a technical assessment. The writer noted, “Of course, I could ask several folks, but you are the best. Even if you don’t work here anymore.” Liu replied with details regarding internal Apple decisions.
On February 14, 2026, the same employee inquired about schematics. By March 5, Liu had been added to a group chat with several Apple staff members, where he directed them to internal folders and contacts. Liu ended the conversation himself, writing, “Hi, this is highly irregular, please remove me from this thread.” OpenAI states that “residual access,” meaning continued access to systems after an employee leaves, is a well-known problem at Apple caused by poor access management.
Liu is just one part of a much broader case. According to the complaint, more than 400 former Apple employees now work at OpenAI. The lawsuit ties into OpenAI’s growing hardware ambitions around the startup io Products, co-founded by Jony Ive, Apple’s iconic former designer.
OpenAI also rejects the allegations against Tang Tan, who spent more than 24 years at Apple and was considered one of the company’s most innovative executives. According to OpenAI, Tan consistently told his team that proprietary information from other companies was neither welcome nor to be used.
Apple’s lawyers mixed up Asian last names
Apple also made mistakes when reaching out to OpenAI, according to the published emails. Apple had claimed it contacted OpenAI as early as February without receiving a response. In reality, an outside lawyer hired by Apple wrote to the wrong person because he confused two Asian last names. He also claimed to have spoken with OpenAI’s General Counsel by phone, which OpenAI says never happened.
Apple only acknowledged both errors after OpenAI pointed them out. The specific allegations that later appeared in the lawsuit were never raised in that earlier correspondence. Instead, Apple’s lawyer said the company was working to “sort out any issues.” Five months of silence followed before Apple filed suit.
While the chat messages and email blunders make for compelling reading, they don’t refute Apple’s core accusations. Liu’s iMessage threads may show that Apple had its own access management problems, but they don’t address the broader claim that OpenAI encouraged new hires to bring proprietary information with them.
What it means
The dispute highlights a clash over how companies manage intellectual property when engineers switch jobs. OpenAI suggests Apple failed to secure its own data, while Apple insists OpenAI brought secrets across the line. The outcome could set a precedent for how tech giants handle staff transitions and hardware development.
