OpenAI Files to Dismiss Apple’s Trade Secret Lawsuit Amid Ongoing Legal Battle

OpenAI has asked a federal judge to throw out Apple’s lawsuit that accuses the company and two former Apple employees of stealing trade secrets and pulling confidential information from job candidates during interviews.

OpenAI Pushes Back Hard in Court Filing

The dismissal request, filed Wednesday, takes direct aim at Apple, suggesting the lawsuit is really about the company’s struggles to hold onto talent and keep up in the AI race. The filing states that Apple should not be allowed to use a baseless lawsuit to cover for its own shortcomings in hiring and retaining staff, along with its failure to bring AI into its products in a meaningful way. The word “fail” and its variations show up close to 50 times across the 31-page document.

What Apple’s Original Complaint Claims

Apple’s lawsuit accuses former employees of walking off with confidential company information and claims OpenAI used recruiting interviews as a way to extract Apple’s trade secrets. In response, OpenAI argues that Apple went through personal iMessages left on work devices and created its own mess by telling employees to use personal iCloud accounts for work tasks, blending personal and company data together. OpenAI’s filing adds that Apple cannot turn the predictable results of its own internal systems and policies into proof that former employees stole anything, especially when those employees may not have even realized they still had access to company data.

Apple Seeks Injunction as Dispute Escalates

Apple filed a separate request this week asking the court for a preliminary injunction that would stop OpenAI from using the disputed trade secrets while the case moves forward. OpenAI addressed the claims publicly through a company blog post titled “Apple is getting this wrong,” stating it never went after Apple’s trade secrets and accusing Apple of presenting a misleading version of events.

Talent War Adds Fuel to the Fight

Apple claims more than 400 of its former employees have since joined OpenAI, a detail that has turned this legal dispute into something bigger than a single case. It now reflects a wider battle between the two companies over engineering talent as both push to build AI-powered hardware.