On October 14, 2026, OpenAI filed a motion in a US court accusing a former employee of sending himself more than 100 highly confidential files about at least one unannounced device. According to The Wall Street Journal, citing court documents, the employee returned to his previous employer — Apple — after a six-month stint at OpenAI.
The filing is the latest stage in the trade-secrets lawsuit Apple filed against OpenAI in July 2026. Apple then alleged that its former employees who moved to OpenAI's hardware division had used confidential information; OpenAI denied the allegations. Now both companies accuse each other of stealing trade secrets — the trial is scheduled for October 2027.
When and how the files were copied
According to court documents, the files were sent to the employee's personal accounts just after midnight on June 2, 2026 — the final day of his six-month stint at OpenAI. The copying thus took place in the small hours of the night that ended his employment.
That same day the employee left OpenAI and returned to the company where he had previously worked — Apple. As WSJ notes, more than 100 files are classified in the documents as "highly confidential." The number of files and the timing of the copying are listed among OpenAI's key evidence.
What the files reportedly contain
The filing says the file set includes extensive technical documentation about an unreleased device or devices: detailed images of the device, confidential engineering and manufacturing data, supplier information, project files, cosmetic finish standards, and reports on the coating and sealing of hardware components.
The list covers not only the device's appearance but also information about its manufacturing chain — from suppliers to final assembly. The device(s) discussed in the filing have not been publicly announced.
Alleged presentation to Apple's leadership
OpenAI alleges that the former employee presented OpenAI's product plans to Apple's senior leadership. According to The Verge, Apple's vice president of operations in Asia was among the attendees. The filing was submitted on October 14, 2026; the presentation itself took place several months earlier.
This allegation is one of the sharpest points of OpenAI's filing: in the company's view, the confidential files were not merely copied but reached the competitor's decision-making level.
HomeView announcements and WSJ's caveat
OpenAI's filing cites Apple's smart-home product announcements this week, including the HomeView device, as evidence that Apple is giving new momentum to products with AI capabilities.
At the same time, WSJ separately notes the uncertainty of this connection: Apple products are typically developed over many years, so directly linking this week's announcements to files copied on June 2 is difficult. The article presents this aspect as a weak link in OpenAI's chain of evidence.
Apple's response
Apple said it found no evidence supporting OpenAI's allegations. According to the company, OpenAI did not respond to Apple's request for more information.
According to WSJ, Apple's position is that OpenAI is trying to distract attention from evidence that it obtained Apple's confidential information. Each new stage of the legal proceedings, it is observed, is making the dispute sharper. The statement once again shows the two-sided nature of the dispute — both companies emphasize that the other's actions are at the center of the case.
"No evidence was found supporting OpenAI's claims, and OpenAI did not respond to Apple's request for more information." — Apple statement, via The Wall Street Journal
Case history and next steps
The current filing is part of a broader legal process. When Apple sued OpenAI in July 2026, the case centered on the allegation that former Apple employees had carried confidential information into OpenAI's hardware division. OpenAI denied the allegations then and denies them now.
Earlier in the proceedings, a court ruling on hiring documents was issued — covered in the site archive's related article. The current development adds a new page to the dispute: OpenAI now alleges that the employee who returned to Apple took files related to its hardware projects.
For context: OpenAI has hired hundreds of former Apple employees for its hardware device push and stated its intention to build AI-powered devices that could compete with the iPhone. The trial is scheduled for October 2027; the parties are currently in the pre-trial document exchange phase.
