Apple’s trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI has sparked a fresh public feud between OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk. While Apple accuses OpenAI of stealing confidential hardware information, Musk has used the case to attack Altman, who has responded by defending his company and expressing respect for Apple.
Apple’s lawsuit against OpenAI has triggered a new war of words between OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk. The lawsuit, filed in a California federal court, accuses OpenAI and two former Apple employees of misusing Apple’s confidential hardware information to speed up the company’s AI hardware development.
According to Apple’s complaint, former Apple executives Tang Tan and Chang Liu improperly accessed and shared confidential information before joining OpenAI. Apple claims Liu downloaded internal hardware files after leaving the company, while Tan allegedly collected supplier information and encouraged Apple employees to bring hardware parts to OpenAI interviews. Apple is seeking the return of its intellectual property, an injunction against further use of the information, and a jury trial.
OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri rejected Apple’s allegations, saying:
“We have no interest in other companies’ trade secrets. We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere.”
Meanwhile, Elon Musk continued his criticism of Altman, posting:
“Scam Altman strikes again.”
He later added:
“He might literally love scamming more than any human alive!”
Altman responded by mocking Musk’s space data center plans before addressing comments suggesting he feared Apple. He made it clear that while he respects Apple, he is not intimidated by the company.
The legal battle comes at a critical time for OpenAI as it expands into AI-powered consumer hardware following its $6.5 billion acquisition of io Products, the startup founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive. With Apple and OpenAI both investing heavily in next-generation AI devices, the outcome of the lawsuit could have a major impact on the future of AI hardware and competition in the technology industry.
Responding to criticism on X, Sam Altman praised Apple while dismissing suggestions that he feared the company.
“I am not afraid of Apple, but I have tremendous respect for them. S-tier company.”
He also took a swipe at Elon Musk, writing:
“There are a lot of benchmarks that suggest 5.6 Sol is the best model in the world right now, but the most reliable way to tell is that Elon is obsessed with me again.”
The public exchange underscores the growing rivalry between Apple, OpenAI, and Elon Musk as the race to develop the next generation of AI-powered devices continues.
