OpenAI disputes Apple's lawsuit claims, citing 'receipts'

OpenAI has publicly disputed Apple's lawsuit, which accused the ChatGPT maker of stealing trade secrets. In a blog post, OpenAI characterized Apple's July complaint as "careless, aggressive and oddly personal" and stated it has evidence to refute the claims.

OpenAI asserted that Apple made factual errors in its allegations. Specifically, OpenAI claimed that Apple's outside counsel mistakenly emailed the wrong person at OpenAI after confusing two Asian last names, a detail OpenAI says Apple only admitted after being prompted. OpenAI also stated that Apple's claim of a discussion with OpenAI's General Counsel was incorrect and has now been conceded by Apple.

Apple's lawsuit alleged that former Apple engineer Chang Liu, who later joined OpenAI, exploited an authentication bug and that OpenAI sought proprietary information. OpenAI countered that Apple employees, not Liu, initiated contact after his departure on January 22. The company shared messages it claims show Liu assisting former Apple colleagues with file transfers and technical queries, attributing the situation to Apple's system access management for departing employees.

This exchange marks an escalation in the relationship between the two tech giants, which has reportedly soured following OpenAI's recruitment of former Apple employees, including design executive Jony Ive, as it accelerates its consumer hardware initiatives.