Apple has asked a federal judge to place OpenAI under emergency oversight, seeking a preliminary injunction and forensic supervision in a trade secrets lawsuit that could complicate the AI company's path to a public listing. The filing, backed by nine sworn declarations, argues that Apple's confidential hardware plans are flowing into a rival's AI hardware ambitions and that the situation demands immediate court intervention.
Why the emergency request
The lawsuit, filed in July, accuses former Apple employees of leaking unreleased hardware designs to OpenAI. Apple contends that the leaks aren't isolated incidents but part of a pattern that gives OpenAI an unfair advantage in the race to build AI-powered devices. The company's legal team submitted the declarations to demonstrate urgency, though the exact contents haven't been made public. OpenAI has denied the allegations, calling them overstated.
The lawsuit's broader targets
The case also names io Products, a hardware startup founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive. OpenAI acquired io Products for $6.5 billion, a move Apple says shows the rival is building a hardware division on stolen intellectual property. To back its claims, OpenAI published chat logs showing Apple employees contacted former engineer Chang Liu for weeks after he left for OpenAI. The logs are meant to show the contacts were routine, not secretive, but Apple argues they prove a coordinated effort to poach talent and trade secrets.
Elon Musk weighs in
Elon Musk, who has his own history with OpenAI, responded to Apple's filing by saying the company 'can't be trusted.' Musk's own lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman was dismissed by a jury in May on procedural grounds. He has long accused Altman of abandoning OpenAI's original nonprofit mission. With Musk's suit out of the way, OpenAI had cleared a path toward an IPO — but Apple's request for forensic supervision could now complicate those plans by exposing internal operations to court-appointed monitors.
What a forensic-supervision order would mean
If the judge grants Apple's request, OpenAI would face court-ordered oversight of its data handling and security practices. That could slow down product development and spook investors ahead of a potential public offering. The decision may also set a precedent for how other companies pursue trade secret claims against AI rivals, especially when the alleged leaks involve hardware plans that could underpin next-generation devices.
The court has not yet set a hearing date. Until then, both sides are expected to file additional briefs, and the question of whether OpenAI's operations will be placed under a monitor remains open.
