Apple sues OpenAI over poaching 400+ staff and trade secret theft

Apple has initiated legal action against OpenAI, filing a federal lawsuit in the Northern District of California on July 11, 2026. The lawsuit accuses OpenAI of systematic trade secret theft and unfair competition, alleging that the AI company aggressively poached more than 400 Apple employees over a two-year period. Apple claims the targeted hires were concentrated in critical teams working on custom chip design (Apple Silicon), hardware engineering, and on-device AI capabilities. According to the complaint, these employees possessed knowledge of Apple's proprietary processes, ongoing research, and future product roadmaps that are central to Apple's hardware-software integration strategy.

The filing details specific instances where OpenAI allegedly encouraged new hires to bring confidential documents, design files, and internal presentations. Apple asserts that OpenAI used this stolen intellectual property to accelerate its own chip development for AI training and inference, as well as to improve on-device AI features for its upcoming hardware. The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief to prevent further hiring of Apple employees and monetary damages for trade secret misappropriation. This legal battle marks a significant escalation in the rivalry between the two tech giants, as Apple continues to develop its own generative AI models while competing for top engineering talent in the AI and silicon fields.