OpenAI Calls Apple Trade Secrets Suit 'Rotten to Its Core'
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- OpenAI filed a motion to dismiss Apple's trade secrets lawsuit, calling the allegations "meritless" and arguing Apple mischaracterized "generic" product development information as "trade secrets" while making no real effort to maintain secrecy.
- Apple's original July lawsuit alleged former employees who joined OpenAI stole confidential documents to advance OpenAI's hardware development plans; OpenAI's dismissal filing escalates the rhetoric, calling the case "rotten to its core" and built on selective or out-of-context communications.
- OpenAI defends former Apple staffer Chang Liu — one of the accused employees — saying he was "simply assisting ex-colleagues who asked him for help" rather than stealing confidential files after leaving the company.
- OpenAI argues Apple is weaponizing a "baseless and pretextual lawsuit" to make up for its own shortcomings in retaining engineers and integrating AI into its products, adding that OpenAI is "building something entirely new and different from anything at Apple."
- A federal judge is set to hear arguments on the dismissal motion on October 1st, while Apple filed a separate preliminary injunction request on Monday to bar OpenAI and the named employees from accessing, using, or disclosing alleged confidential information during the case.
Why it matters: OpenAI is escalating from a legal defense to a public indictment of Apple's competitive position, framing the suit as retaliation for Apple's inability to retain AI engineers and ship competitive products. The October 1 hearing and Apple's parallel injunction bid will determine whether the case constrains OpenAI's hardware hiring and poach pipeline through the fall.
