OpenAI has released a trove of emails and text messages from Apple employees, aiming to undercut a trade secret lawsuit filed by Apple. The company says the communications expose factual errors in Apple's claims that former employees brought confidential information to OpenAI.
What the released messages show
The materials, which OpenAI made public on Tuesday, include internal Apple correspondence that the AI firm says contradicts key allegations in the lawsuit. According to OpenAI, the messages demonstrate that the information Apple claims was stolen was either already public or unrelated to the work done by the former employees at OpenAI.
OpenAI did not specify how many messages were released or name the employees involved, but described the documents as directly relevant to the dispute. The company said it decided to publish them to correct what it called “material inaccuracies” in Apple’s legal filing.
Apple’s allegations
Apple’s lawsuit, filed in a California court earlier this year, accuses several former employees of taking proprietary data when they left to join OpenAI. The complaint alleges that the employees downloaded sensitive files related to Apple’s own AI development efforts before departing, and that OpenAI benefited from that information.
Apple has not yet commented on the release of the messages. The company’s original suit seeks damages and an injunction to prevent OpenAI from using any allegedly stolen trade secrets.
OpenAI’s defense
OpenAI has consistently denied the allegations, arguing that its technology is built on publicly available research and its own innovations. The release of the Apple employee communications is the company’s most aggressive move yet to discredit the lawsuit.
“These documents show that Apple’s case is built on a flawed understanding of what actually happened,” an OpenAI representative said in a statement. “We are confident that the facts will prevail.”
The legal battle comes as competition between Apple and OpenAI intensifies. Apple has been investing heavily in its own AI capabilities, while OpenAI’s ChatGPT has become a dominant consumer AI product. The outcome of the lawsuit could affect how both companies handle employee mobility and intellectual property in the fast-moving AI sector.
A hearing on Apple’s request for a preliminary injunction is scheduled for next month. OpenAI has said it will continue to fight the case and may release additional evidence as the proceedings unfold.
