Apple Sues OpenAI Over Alleged Hardware Secrets Theft
7 reported
According to a Wired podcast episode, Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI on the Friday before July 20, 2026, alleging the company stole confidential hardware secrets including unreleased iPhone parts, prototypes, and designs. The lawsuit claims the theft occurred primarily through former Apple employees, naming OpenAI’s chief hardware officer Tang Tan, who spent 24 years at Apple, as encouraging departing employees to bring proprietary information. The podcast also reported that OpenAI has hired more than 400 former Apple employees and last year paid $6.5 billion to acquire startup IO Products, co-founded by longtime Apple executives. Separately, Wired reported that OpenAI staffers are funding a rival super PAC called Guardrails Alliance, launched last month with $5 million in initial funding, to advocate for tighter regulations on frontier AI labs. The super PAC is described as a counterweight to a $100 million fund backed by OpenAI executive Greg Brockman that supports AI development with fewer guardrails.
What’s reported
Apple sued OpenAI on the Friday before July 20, 2026, alleging theft of confidential hardware secrets including unreleased iPhone parts, prototypes, and designs.
The lawsuit claims the alleged theft happened mostly through former Apple employees.
OpenAI’s chief hardware officer Tang Tan, who spent 24 years at Apple, is named in the lawsuit and accused of encouraging departing employees to bring proprietary information.
OpenAI has hired more than 400 former Apple employees, according to the lawsuit.
OpenAI last year paid $6.5 billion to acquire startup IO Products, co-founded by longtime Apple executives including Tan, Scott Cannon, Evans Hankey, and Jony Ive.
Wired reported that OpenAI staffers are funding a rival super PAC called Guardrails Alliance, launched last month with $5 million in initial funding.
The Guardrails Alliance is described as a counterweight to a $100 million fund backed by OpenAI executive Greg Brockman that supports AI development with fewer guardrails.
Key figures
Tang Tan: OpenAI chief hardware officer, named in Apple’s lawsuit
Greg Brockman: OpenAI executive, backed a $100 million fund supporting AI development with fewer guardrails
Brian Barrett: Wired executive editor, podcast co-host
Zoë Schiffer: Wired contributing editor, podcast co-host
Leah Feiger: Wired director of politics and science, podcast co-host
Sources: Wired
