---
title: "The Apple lawsuit against OpenAI is messy."
slug: the-apple-lawsuit-against-openai-is-messy-0bdb1a7e16
source: linkedin
kind: post
publishedAt: 2026-07-24
externalUrl: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7486382360893181952
---

The Apple lawsuit against OpenAI is messy.  The claims are all alleged by Apple, and this lawsuit will take a long time before anything is resolved. A highlight of some of the claims:   • OpenAI's hardware chief directed candidates still w…

The Apple lawsuit against OpenAI is messy.

The claims are all alleged by Apple, and this lawsuit will take a long time before anything is resolved. A highlight of some of the claims:

• OpenAI's hardware chief directed candidates still working at Apple to bring "actual parts" to their job interviews for "show and tell" sessions. One candidate admitted he "didn't even know we could take those from the office."

• A former Apple engineer exploited an authentication bug to access Apple's internal network after leaving, downloaded over a thousand pages of confidential technical files, and joked about the security hole in messages instead of reporting it.

• OpenAI's hardware chief allegedly distributed an internal Apple document detailing Apple's departure security protocols to new hires before they even resigned, so they could evade exit checks.

• OpenAI had one of Apple's own manufacturing partners perform Apple's proprietary metal-finishing technique by misleading the partner into believing it had Apple's permission.

• One candidate began screenshotting and downloading files from a highly confidential Apple project just hours before an OpenAI interview, where the hardware chief then asked about that exact project.

Talent wars between big tech companies is a tale as old as time. Apple clearly wants to stop the leakage, but there is a thought I just can’t get out of my mind.

Why consumer electronics OpenAI?

Why not focus your hardware efforts on silicon and wafers. There is a huge demand, and you would have less reliance on NVIDIA.

I know OpenAI recently announced their Jalapeño inference chip, but consumer electronics seems to be a distraction. They could pour more resources into chip research and manufacturing, instead of entering into an incredibly saturated market.

That’s just my 2 cents.

What do you think? Are consumer electronics a smart diversification, or a distraction?