AI NewsOpenAI Refutes Apple’s Trade Secret Theft Claims, Blames iPhone Maker for the ‘Mess’: Report

OpenAI Refutes Apple’s Trade Secret Theft Claims, Blames iPhone Maker for the ‘Mess’: Report

1:52 PM IST · September 2, 2026

Apple accused OpenAI of stealing its trade secrets by soliciting confidential information from the iPhone maker's former employees. The accusation was made in the lawsuit that the tech giant filed against the AI firm earlier this year in July. This came after OpenAI hired multiple Apple employees, who allegedly brought knowledge of future Apple products. Interestingly, this coincided with reports of OpenAI's plans to foray into the hardware segment with a smart speaker. Now, in a new court filing, OpenAI puts the blame back on Apple for being unable to safeguard its own trade secrets, while calling the lawsuit a mess.