OpenAI hits back at Apple's lawsuit — and says it has receipts

Apple's lawsuit accusing OpenAI of stealing trade secrets has prompted the AI company to respond, stating it has evidence to back its claims. Apple first filed the suit in July, alleging OpenAI misappropriated confidential information using a "coordinated pattern of misconduct." OpenAI now counters some of Apple's claims, citing communication errors and stating it possesses proof to substantiate its stance.

In a recent blog post, OpenAI accused Apple's outside counsel of incorrectly emailing the "wrong person after confusing two Asian last names." The AI firm claims Apple got some of its facts wrong, and it is ready to present the "receipts" to support its assertions. OpenAI referred to Apple's initial complaint as a "careless, aggressive and oddly personal lawsuit."

Earlier, Apple had accused a former employee who joined OpenAI of exploiting an authentication bug to steal trade secrets. OpenAI denied any wrongdoing at the time, stating it was not interested in Apple's trade secrets. Neither company immediately responded to Business Insider's request for comment.

OpenAI shared email correspondence it claims shows Apple's outside counsel mistakenly sent OpenAI's general counsel a follow-up intended for a former Apple employee. The lawsuit claims that Apple employees reached out to Chang Liu and Tang Tan, former Apple engineer and design executive, respectively, seeking assistance with files and technical questions after Liu's departure on January 22.

OpenAI's blog post presents messages between Liu and former Apple colleagues, indicating Apple employees sought his help in locating files and answering technical questions concerning Apple projects.