Apple vs OpenAI Lawsuit

New details have emerged in the ongoing legal battle between Apple and OpenAI, revealing that a simple email mistake may have contributed to communication problems before Apple officially filed its lawsuit.

According to a report from NBC News, two emails, a 13-minute gap, and a case of mistaken identity became key events leading up to Apple’s trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI.

Apple Accuses OpenAI of Misusing Confidential Information

Apple recently filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, accusing OpenAI and several former Apple employees of taking confidential company information. The complaint alleges that unreleased product details, component information, supplier relationships, and other proprietary business data were improperly retained after employees joined OpenAI.

Apple also claimed that it contacted OpenAI in February 2026, asking the company to explain what steps it had taken to investigate the issue and prevent further misuse of confidential information. According to the lawsuit, Apple believed OpenAI never responded to that request.

NBC Report Reveals What Actually Happened

NBC News reviewed the email exchange and found that the situation was more complicated than it first appeared.

On February 23, 2026, at 5:53 PM (U.S. local time), Apple’s outside attorney Gabriel Gross sent an email to OpenAI’s General Counsel, Che Chang. The email included a formal letter along with three attachments labeled Exhibit A, Exhibit B, and Exhibit C.

Just 13 minutes later, before receiving any reply, Gross sent another email in the same thread thanking Chang for a phone call and promising to follow up after speaking with Apple. He also resent the missing attachments.

However, NBC reports that no phone conversation had actually taken place between Gross and Chang.

An Email Was Sent to the Wrong Person

The second email was reportedly intended for a former Apple employee at OpenAI with the surname Wang, not Che Chang. Gross accidentally replied to the wrong recipient, creating confusion about whether the two sides had already discussed the matter.

About two hours later, Chang forwarded the email chain to Apple’s in-house lawyers, Debbie Rice and Kwang Kim, asking them to confirm whether Gross was officially representing Apple. Chang also indicated that he was not the appropriate person for further discussions.

The following morning, Gross apologized for the mistake and explained that his reply had accidentally been sent to Chang instead of Wang. He also clarified that Wang had voluntarily contacted him the previous day and had expressed a willingness to cooperate.

OpenAI Says the Matter Appeared Resolved

OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri said Chang believed the misunderstanding had been cleared up after receiving Gross’s apology, which is why no additional response was sent.

One day later, Apple’s attorney Kwang Kim contacted Chang again to confirm that law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges was officially representing Apple in the matter.

According to OpenAI, there were no further communications from Apple’s legal team before the company officially filed its lawsuit last week.

What This Means

The newly revealed emails suggest that the communication breakdown before the lawsuit may have been caused, at least in part, by an accidental email sent to the wrong recipient. While Apple maintains that OpenAI failed to properly respond to its concerns, OpenAI argues that the misunderstanding had already been clarified before legal action began.

The lawsuit remains ongoing, and the newly disclosed email timeline could become an important part of the legal proceedings as both companies continue to present their arguments.

What do you think about this email mix-up? Could better communication have prevented the lawsuit, or was legal action unavoidable? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.