# Apple disputes OpenAI file-theft allegations in court response

_Published Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 4:38 PM EDT · Products, AI · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![Apple disputes OpenAI file-theft allegations in court response — Primary](https://9to5mac.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2026/05/apple-openai.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&resize=1200,628)

Apple disputed OpenAI's allegations that an employee took confidential device files before returning to Apple, in a newly public court response described by 9to5Mac. Apple said its investigation had located no OpenAI confidential information and challenged the allegations' relevance to its existing trade secret lawsuit against OpenAI and others.

OpenAI alleges the employee sent over a hundred highly confidential files to personal accounts. Apple said the engineer works on iPhone manufacturing design, the role he held before joining OpenAI. Apple said it requested more specific information to run additional searches and received no response before OpenAI filed in court. It is preserving evidence and continuing its investigation.

## Sources

- [9to5Mac](https://9to5mac.com/2026/10/15/heres-apples-official-response-to-openais-trade-secret-theft-allegations/)

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Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/I-XD3yJFvlnLCS2ykc1cHZ
Published: 2026-10-15T20:38:26.607Z
Story chronology: 2026-10-15T19:57:37.000Z
Retrieved: 2026-10-15T22:49:26.076Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)