Elon Musk Accuses Sam Altman Of Stealing Apple Technology After OpenAI Lawsuit

Elon Musk accused OpenAI CEO Sam Altman of stealing Apple technology after the iPhone maker filed a federal trade-secret lawsuit against OpenAI and two former Apple employees.

“After stealing an open source AI charity, you then stole all of Apple’s phone technology,” Musk wrote on X, before asking Altman what he planned “for an encore.”

The attack followed Apple’s lawsuit against OpenAI, hardware chief Tang Yew Tan, former Apple engineer Chang Liu and io Products. The complaint alleges that OpenAI built parts of its consumer hardware operation with confidential Apple information obtained through former employees, recruitment interviews and supplier relationships.

Apple claims Liu retained access to internal systems after leaving the company and downloaded confidential hardware files while working for OpenAI. Tan allegedly encouraged Apple employees interviewing for OpenAI roles to discuss unreleased projects and bring physical components into meetings.

OpenAI Rejects Trade-Secret Claims

OpenAI denied using Apple’s confidential technology.

We have no interest in other companies’ trade secrets,” spokesperson Drew Pusateri said. “We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere.

Apple’s complaint called OpenAI’s hardware business “rotten to its core” through its alleged reliance on misappropriated trade secrets. The company wants the court to block the defendants from using the disputed information and order the return or destruction of confidential materials.

OpenAI acquired Jony Ive’s io Products in 2025 as it expanded beyond ChatGPT into dedicated consumer hardware. More than 400 former Apple employees now work at OpenAI, while Tan spent over 24 years at Apple and held senior roles across the iPhone and Apple Watch businesses.

The hardware fight follows years of cooperation between the companies. Apple integrated ChatGPT into Apple Intelligence in 2024, allowing Siri and Writing Tools to send selected requests to OpenAI’s models. Apple has since expanded its own AI systems while facing investor pressure over delays and execution, including a session in which roughly $230 billion was erased from its intraday market value after its latest Siri AI presentation.

Musk Revives OpenAI Nonprofit Accusation

Musk’s reference to an “open source AI charity” revived his claim that Altman and OpenAI abandoned the organization’s original nonprofit mission.

Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 and later sued the company, Altman and Greg Brockman, arguing that his early funding was secured through promises that OpenAI would remain nonprofit and develop artificial intelligence for public benefit. He contributed roughly $38 million before leaving the organization.

A federal jury rejected Musk’s claims in May after a trial that included testimony from Musk and Altman. Musk has continued attacking Altman publicly, including repeated “Scam Altman” posts that later fueled an unaffiliated Solana meme coin and a $150,000 trader loss.