August 4, 2026
Forbidden fruit, leaked receipts
Apple says more ex-employees may have taken confidential data to OpenAI
Apple turns up the heat as commenters call this a messy ex-employees showdown
TLDR: Apple says even more former employees may have carried secret company information to OpenAI, and it wants a judge to step in quickly. Commenters are split between laughing at the public mudslinging, mocking the security blame game, and wishing both sides would stop performing for the press.
Apple just cranked this corporate feud from awkward to full breakup-text energy. The company says its fight with OpenAI over alleged stolen secrets is getting bigger, not smaller, and now claims more former Apple staff may have been involved. Apple wants the court to move fast and block OpenAI from pushing ahead on an AI gadget project it believes could be built using Apple know-how. OpenAI fired back publicly, saying Apple’s claims are flat-out wrong, unnecessary, and basically a distraction because it doesn’t have — or want — Apple’s secret material.
But in the comments, people were far less interested in legal wording than in the messy vibes. One camp thought OpenAI’s official response, posted here, sounded shaky next to Apple’s escalating accusations. Another crowd zeroed in on the most meme-ready part of all: OpenAI taking shots at Apple’s security. That inspired the thread’s sharpest joke, with one commenter mocking Sam Altman as a guy who says he "hacks others by mistake" while lecturing someone else about bad security — a classic glass house dunk.
Not everyone was here for the popcorn, though. Some commenters were clearly exhausted, begging both giants to stop fighting through press statements and just let the court sort it out. And there was genuine anxiety, too: one person said this whole story is a nightmare for any worker switching jobs in the same industry, where even a normal career move can suddenly look suspicious. So yes, it’s a legal battle — but the comment section sees it as part scandal, part comedy, part cautionary tale.
Key Points
- •Apple is seeking a preliminary injunction in its trade secrets case against OpenAI to halt development of an AI device or other products allegedly based on Apple technology.
- •Apple’s new filing requests expedited discovery from Chang Liu, Tang Yew Tan, OpenAI, its foundation, and io, the startup co-founded by Jony Ive.
- •Apple says its ongoing investigation identified 11 additional former Apple employees who may have been witnesses or otherwise involved, beyond Liu and Tan.
- •The filing cites alleged examples including discussions of Apple proprietary information before an OpenAI interview, screenshots of confidential Apple documents, and retained Apple-issued work devices.
- •OpenAI publicly denied Apple’s claims, saying it does not have or want Apple’s trade secrets and arguing Apple’s injunction request is false and unnecessary.