ClaimArticle

Apple's new lawsuit against OpenAI over trade secrets looks like more smoke than fire.

Ben Thompson's analysis, relayed by Andrew Sharp, concludes that Apple's trade-secrets lawsuit against OpenAI is largely overblown rather than a sign of a deep underlying issue. ✦ AI generated

Ben Thompson · Stratechery · 2026-07-17 · original ↗

Share card ↓Export .md Export .txt

In Monday's Update Ben parsed a new lawsuit from Apple that looks like more smoke than fire, and in Tuesday's Update he doubled back to cover the revamped ChatGPT app on the Mac and what it signals about the company's priorities going forward.

Read full article ↗excerpt · fair-use quotation

▦ Apple ▦ OpenAI

Around this claim

Mechanism · 1

Apple's trade-secrets lawsuit against OpenAI is largely sour-grapes whining from a company losing the AI race, and its underlying premise — that it owns not just employees' laptops but their minds and knowledge — is objectionable.Ben Thompson · Platformer · conf 60%

Evidence · 1

Greg Brockman keeping a diary documenting OpenAI's plans to oust Elon and convert to for-profit is astonishing — it's 'discovery maxing,' literally writing down evidence of a potential crime or at minimum a breach of trust.Jason Calacanis · All-In Podcast · conf 70%

Extends · 1

This moment responds to

rebuts → OpenAI turned to trade secret misappropriation to free-ride off Apple's decades of innovation instead of investing what legitimate hardware development would require.Apple (lawsuit) · Big Technology supports → OpenAI has no interest in other companies' trade secrets and is focused solely on building innovative technology.OpenAI · Big Technology