OpenAI has released chat logs to counter Apple's trade secret lawsuit, claiming the iPhone maker's allegations are based on flawed evidence. The logs show Apple employees reached out to former colleague Chang Liu for technical information after he left the company. According to the published messages, Liu's last day at Apple was January 22, 2026. On that same day and in the weeks that followed, Apple employees repeatedly contacted him to ask technical questions and get his help tracking down internal files. One message from January 27, 2026, shows an Apple employee asking Liu for a technical assessment and writing, 'Of course, I could ask several folks, but you are the best. Even if you don't work here anymore.' Liu responded with details about internal Apple decisions. On February 14, 2026, the same employee asked about schematics. On March 5, Liu was added to a group chat with several Apple employees, where he directed them to internal folders and contacts. Liu ended the conversation himself, writing, 'Hi, this is highly irregular, please remove me from this thread.'

OpenAI argues that 'residual access,' meaning continued access to systems after an employee leaves, is a well-known problem at Apple caused by poor access management. Liu is just one part of a much broader case, though. According to the complaint, more than 400 former Apple employees now work at OpenAI, and the lawsuit ties into OpenAI's growing hardware ambitions around the startup io Products, co-founded by Jony Ive, Apple's iconic former designer. OpenAI also rejects the allegations against Tang Tan, who spent more than 24 years at Apple and was considered one of the company's most innovative executives. According to OpenAI, Tan consistently told his team that proprietary information from other companies was neither welcome nor to be used.

Apple made mistakes when reaching out to OpenAI, according to the published emails. Apple had claimed it contacted OpenAI as early as February without receiving a response. In reality, an outside lawyer hired by Apple wrote to the wrong person because he confused two Asian last names. He also claimed to have spoken with OpenAI's General Counsel by phone, which OpenAI says never happened. Apple only acknowledged both errors after OpenAI pointed them out. The specific allegations that later appeared in the lawsuit were never raised in that earlier correspondence. Instead, Apple's lawyer said the company was working to 'sort out any issues.' Five months of silence followed before Apple filed suit.

Source: thedecoder