Since its founding, Sam Altman's OpenAI has been at the center of multiple controversies, with Apple's intellectual property theft suit being just the latest chapter. Here's the story so far about what's been alleged over the last decade.
The artificial intelligence development wave has greatly affected the tech industry. As usual, this also includes accusations, threats, and lawsuits.
OpenAI is no different, as it has attracted many different lawsuits in its short existence. As you might expect, Apple is central to some, and peripheral to others.
Here's how OpenAI has fared taking on various litigious foes, including Apple.
After decades as the head of design at Apple, Jony Ive left the company fully in November 2019, after his removal from the official Apple Leadership page.
Ive wasn't the only former Apple designer at LoveFrom. In June 2021, it was reported that he had poached a number of colleagues from the Apple human interface team.
While not under the corporate umbrella, Ive still worked for Apple as part of his design agency LoveFrom. This was confirmed in November 2021, without really going into the detail of what happened.
However, despite maintaining the relationship with the company that he helped turn into a design powerhouse, it was not a permanent arrangement. By 2022, Apple and LoveFrom declined to renew a contract.
As usual for Apple contracts, there was no explanation for the breakup.
In late September, a pair of reports indicated Ive was working with OpenAI chief Sam Altman on a new project. Specifically, to design new hardware with AI at its core.
Altman wasn't the only major name to work with Ive, as SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son reportedly got involved with the discussions. There was also the claim that SoftBank could've contributed over $1 billion to the project.
The talks between Ive and Altman were said to be brainstorming sessions at Ive's San Francisco office. They were discussing the kind of technology OpenAI could use, and how it would look like.
On August 11, 2025, Elon Musk took to X, formerly Twitter, with accusations that Apple was favoring ChatGPT and OpenAI by not featuring Grok or X in the App Store.
At the time, X had managed to reach number one in the top free news apps, and was 38 on the top free apps list. Grok, meanwhile, was number six in the free list rankings.
This wasn't enough for Musk, who threatened legal action for alleged antitrust violations. He insisted that Apple's work with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into iOS was a sign Apple had a bias against Grok and X.
A few weeks later, on April 25, 2025, Musk followed through with his lawsuit, via xAI. Despite the claim being refuted by online users, Apple, and even Grok AI itself.
As predicted, the lawsuit is concerning AI competition and App Store rankings specifically, and that Apple and OpenAI were claimed to be illegally conspiring to thwart any AI competitors.
On June 23, 2025, a nine-minute video with former Apple design chief Jony Ive and OpenAI head Sam Altman was pulled from view. At the time, it seemed to be purely about names.
Ive and Altman had been working together for a few years, with a view to creating some form of AI-based product. By April 2025, this had turned into Altman and Ive's startup being referred to as "io Projects."
It would later become "io" as it was sold to OpenAI for $6.5 billion in May 2025.
Jony Ive and Sam Altman – Image Credit: OpenAI
By June of that year, a company called iyO took OpenAI to court, with objections over the use of the trademark. The names were very similar, the filing insisted.
It also didn't help that iyO was spawned from the research and development of an Alphabet X project for an AI device relying solely on speech. Because of this, iyO believed there could be considerable confusion between the two companies.
In response, OpenAI took down the announcement, advising it was because of the trademark complaint from iyO.
"We don't agree with the complaint and are reviewing our options," OpenAI said.
In September 2025, it was reported that OpenAI was going after some of Apple's best people, as well as talking to iPhone component manufacturers.
It was an exodus that was steered by Tang Tan, who said OpenAI offered more freedom, collaboration, and bigger ideas than Apple's slower updates.
Aside from apparent freedom in working and the promise of less bureaucracy, there's also cold hard cash at play. There were stock offers worth more than a million dollars, too.
