Apple против OpenAI: иск о краже коммерческих тайн и борьбе за пост-смартфонную эру

In July 2026, Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the company of stealing trade secrets: according to Apple, former employees who moved to OpenAI extracted hardware manufacturing secrets during interviews and downloaded files from Apple's corporate servers. OpenAI denies the accusations and has not yet issued an official response.

What Apple Accuses OpenAI Of

Apple claims that a group of its former engineers at OpenAI deliberately hunted for trade secrets — including during interviews where candidates were asked to describe Apple's secret projects under code names. According to the lawsuit, applicants were asked to bring hardware samples out of Apple's offices — batteries and other components — for "show and tell." In one cited message, an employee who had gained access to confidential Apple data wrote: "LOL! So funny that I even have access to this."

• The lawsuit was filed by Apple against OpenAI in July 2026
• In 2025, OpenAI bought Jony Ive's hardware startup io Products for $6.5 billion
• Tang Tan — OpenAI's head of hardware, who previously spent 24 years at Apple, vice president for Apple Watch
• OpenAI is reportedly developing five devices; the first is a smart speaker without a screen
• ChatGPT has about 900 million free users

Intellectual property lawyers interviewed by The Verge note that such tactics are not uncommon on their own in trade secret cases — what's unusual is that they're all bundled into one case between two giants.

Who Is at the Center of the Lawsuit

The central figure in the lawsuit is Tang Tan, OpenAI's head of hardware, who worked at Apple for 24 years and led the Apple Watch division. He left Apple in 2024 for Jony Ive's startup io Products, which was later acquired by OpenAI, after which Tan received a C-suite-level position.

Apple names Tang Tan specifically as the organizer of the trade secret gathering: according to the company, he conducted interviews and asked about classified projects, and candidates, seeing his familiarity with the subject, felt they could speak more freely. Notably, Jony Ive himself — Apple's legendary designer who worked with Steve Jobs — is not mentioned in the lawsuit at all.

"Sam

Altman didn't need another lawsuit," — Hayden Field, senior AI reporter at The Verge.

What the Lawsuit Means for OpenAI

The lawsuit hits OpenAI at a difficult moment — ahead of its IPO, when investors are closely watching the company's path to profitability. Apple is known as an extremely persistent plaintiff: in the 1990s it sued Microsoft over copyright, and in the 2000s and early 2010s it sued Samsung over patents, with Samsung eventually paying out about $1 billion. But neither Microsoft nor Samsung was stopped by these lawsuits.

The difference is that OpenAI is neither Apple nor Samsung: the company is still burning cash, regularly losing top executives, and torn between the enterprise and consumer markets. According to The Verge, OpenAI may delay its IPO, and Apple's lawsuit could become an additional argument in favor of the postponement.

What It Means

The dispute between Apple and OpenAI isn't just about stolen blueprints — it's also about who will set the rules for the post-smartphone era. For OpenAI, which has spent $6.5 billion on hardware ambitions, a legal battle with the world's most experienced hardware manufacturer is a threat precisely where the company is weakest.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much did OpenAI pay for Jony Ive's startup?

In 2025, OpenAI bought the hardware startup io Products, founded by former Apple designer Jony Ive, for $6.5 billion.

Why isn't Jony Ive mentioned in Apple's lawsuit?

Apple did not name Ive in the lawsuit, even though it was he who brought former Apple designers to OpenAI and sold part of his business to the company. According to a suggestion by The Verge reporter Hayden Field, Apple simply has no incriminating material on him — "others do the dirty work for him."

Could the lawsuit delay OpenAI's IPO?

Yes. According to The Verge, OpenAI was already considering pushing its IPO to early next year even without the lawsuit, and the legal dispute with Apple strengthens the case for the delay.