OpenAI Hits Back at Apple, Releases Messages — SkimNews
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- OpenAI published a blog titled 'Apple is getting this wrong,' disputing Apple's account of pre-lawsuit contacts and rejecting claims that former Apple staff brought confidential information to OpenAI.
- OpenAI released iMessages and emails as public evidence, dragging the trade-secret dispute from the courtroom into the court of public opinion.
- Apple filed for a preliminary injunction seeking to bar two former staff and OpenAI from accessing, acquiring, using, or disclosing confidential information.
- Sheel Mohnot flagged on X that Apple's counsel reportedly sent the pre-suit notice to the wrong email after mixing up two Asian last names — a procedural gaffe now part of the public record.
- James Titcomb of the FT observed that Apple's policy of requiring employees to use personal iCloud accounts for work may be part of the underlying problem in this dispute.
- The Financial Times characterized the fight as 'oddly personal,' signaling that the dispute has moved beyond pure trade-secret claims into corporate culture and personality.
Why it matters: By publishing private communications, OpenAI forces Apple to defend not just the legal merits but also its internal policies and procedural competence. The reported email mix-up — sending pre-suit notice to the wrong address after confusing two last names — gives OpenAI ammunition to challenge Apple's standing before any ruling on the trade-secret merits.
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