Apple Says Ex-Employee Gave Secret Files to OpenAI
The Apple-OpenAI lawsuit gained new evidence this week. Apple accuses a former engineer of destroying files after he learned about an internal investigation.
The fight now touches more than 400 former Apple employees who joined Sam Altman’s AI lab. Many of them are reportedly working on OpenAI’s secret consumer hardware project.
Lawsuit Gains New Evidence
Apple sued OpenAI in July in the Northern District of California. The complaint named engineer Chang Liu, who allegedly retained access to Apple files after his exit.
Apple has since handed Liu’s old work laptop to forensic examiners. However, the decisive exhibits remain redacted on the public docket.
SHOCKING EVIDENCE FOUND BY APPLE AGAINST OPENAI OF STEALING ITS DATA
— Bull Theory (@BullTheoryio) September 1, 2026
The company has accused OpenAI and two former Apple employees of stealing its confidential data as OpenAI ventures into consumer hardware.
Both employees Chang Liu and Tang Yew Tan held senior positions at… pic.twitter.com/rqirZ7h1BF
The company also says Liu recruited OpenAI colleague Yu-Ting Peng to erase evidence in June. Earlier filings included text messages where Liu replied with crying-laughing emojis. This detail matters because OpenAI argues its hires never noticed their leftover access.
That step extends Apple’s earlier bid for forensic oversight of OpenAI. Elon Musk seized on the case immediately, and he and Sam Altman traded insults on X days after the filing.
OpenAI Says Apple Lost the Talent War
OpenAI asked the judge to toss the suit on August 6. Meanwhile, its 31-page motion leans hard on a single word.
“Apple should not be permitted to use a baseless and pretextual lawsuit to make up for its shortcomings in the market for talent and retaining its employees, and its failures to integrate AI into its products,” OpenAI motion to dismiss, via Axios
The lab argues that Apple’s own access controls created the exposure. Therefore, it frames the departures as ordinary mobility rather than theft.
The hiring record gives that argument weight. OpenAI paid $6.5 billion for Jony Ive’s startup io, and former Apple executives now run its hardware group.
Investors have shrugged off the Apple OpenAI lawsuit so far. Apple stock (AAPL) closed at $316.85 on Monday, down 0.89% on the day. However, the shares still hold a 16.38% gain for the year and 3.95% over the past month. Pre-market trade stayed flat on Tuesday.
Every OpenAI hire draws scrutiny, as a viral recruitment rumor showed in August. Wall Street attention to megacaps has thinned this year, yet Apple keeps grinding higher.
The Apple OpenAI lawsuit now races the product calendar. Apple wants an injunction before OpenAI ships a device. In contrast, OpenAI wants the case dismissed before discovery reaches its hardware roadmap.
Musk’s separate OpenAI trial already showed how far these fights travel.