Apple has asked a federal court to issue a preliminary injunction against OpenAI as part of its trade secrets lawsuit, a move that could directly constrain OpenAI’s hardware ambitions before the case ever goes to trial.
As reported by Reuters, Apple filed the underlying suit in the Northern District of California, alleging a months-long scheme to steal confidential information involving former Apple executives and employees who had moved to OpenAI. The injunction request, if granted, would require disputed materials to be isolated, evidence preserved, and compliance certified, creating operational drag on OpenAI’s active device program. Bloomberg Intelligence has assessed that Apple is likely to secure targeted preliminary relief tied to OpenAI’s device effort. OpenAI has since published a detailed public rebuttal.
Apple’s suit centers on two named former executives, Tang Tan and Chang Liu. Tang Tan served as VP of product design at Apple, leading iPhone and Apple Watch product design. Chang Liu worked at Apple for eight years as a senior system electrical engineer before joining OpenAI in January 2026. Apple alleges that Tan and Liu directed Apple employees who were interviewing with OpenAI to provide details on unreleased devices, components, manufacturing processes, and vendor relationships.
The suit includes additional claims:
- Apple alleges OpenAI had a trusted Apple manufacturing partner carry out Apple’s proprietary metal-finishing technique, misleading that partner into believing it had Apple’s authorization.
- Apple says OpenAI approached a second longtime Apple supplier in power and battery manufacturing, using insider terminology to ask targeted questions about specific Apple components.
- More than 400 former Apple employees now work at OpenAI, a figure that reflects how heavily OpenAI recruited from Apple’s iPhone hardware design group specifically, to the point where Apple had to rebuild parts of that team.
Apple says it first raised concerns with OpenAI directly in February, asking the company to investigate and address the issue. Pre-lawsuit negotiations broke down after communication between the two sides failed, and Apple proceeded to file suit. That broader pattern aligns with Apple’s approach of moving aggressively to protect supply chain relationships when it believes they are being exploited.
The lawsuit arrived at a sensitive moment for OpenAI. The company acquired Jony Ive’s startup io in a $6.5 billion deal that included more than 50 engineers and developers, and it is working toward its first consumer hardware product, reportedly expected to be announced this year and released in 2027. A person familiar with OpenAI’s plans told Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman that the timeline could shift as OpenAI reviews Apple’s claims.
Any preliminary injunction would likely require disputed materials to be isolated, evidence preserved, and compliance certified. For a hardware program already under scrutiny, those requirements carry real operational weight.
The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Edward Davila, with Magistrate Judge Nathanael Cousins handling discovery. Both sides must discuss settlement and evidence exchange plans by September 22, with initial disclosures and a joint case management statement due October 6.
