Apple’s lawsuit couldn’t come at a worse time for OpenAI

# Apple's lawsuit couldn't come at a worse time for OpenAI Source: [https://techcrunch.com/podcast/apples-lawsuit-couldnt-come-at-a-worse-time-for-openai/](https://techcrunch.com/podcast/apples-lawsuit-couldnt-come-at-a-worse-time-for-openai/) Apple[filed a trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/13/the-wildest-allegations-in-apples-trade-secrets-lawsuit-against-openai/)last Friday, and it’s not messing around\. The complaint alleges a pattern of misconduct reaching all the way up to OpenAI’s chief hardware officer and claims more than 400 former Apple employees now work at the company\.[OpenAI’s response so far](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/14/openai-pushes-back-on-apple-trade-secret-lawsuit/)has been carefully hedged, and the timing couldn’t be worse with the company reportedly eyeing an IPO as early as later this year\. On this episode of TechCrunch’s[Equity](https://techcrunch.com/podcasts/equity/)podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Sean O’Kane dig into what the lawsuit could mean for OpenAI’s own hardware ambitions and IPO timeline, plus a bigger theme running through the week’s news: how much should anyone trust AI companies with their data? Listen to the full episode to hear more about: - Why Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella[is warning enterprises](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/13/satya-nadella-has-issued-a-shocking-warning-to-companies-using-ai/)about handing data over to AI labs, and whether[open source](https://techcrunch.com/podcast/open-source-ai-matters-more-than-ever-according-to-hugging-faces-clem-delangue/)is really a way out of the “Trojan horse” data\-trust problem - How[forward\-deployed engineers](https://techcrunch.com/podcast/inside-ode-with-anthropic-the-private-equity-backed-startup-betting-ai-services-are-the-future-of-enterprise/)\(FDEs\) are changing the relationship between AI labs and their enterprise customers - Why General Catalyst just handed David Beckham’s health drink startup[a $1 billion customer value fund](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/14/david-beckhams-health-drink-startup-im8-takes-1b-from-general-catalysts-unusual-cvf-fund/) - The scoop on a new[$200M drug\-discovery startup from an ex\-OpenAI researcher](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/14/openai-researcher-miles-wang-in-talks-to-launch-ai-drug-discovery-startup-valued-at-2b/) Subscribe to Equity on[YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@TechCrunch),[Apple Podcasts](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1215439780),[Overcast](https://overcast.fm/itunes1215439780/equity),[Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/5IEYLip3eDppcOmy5DmphC?si=rZDFHv2sQUul_g94iCRgpQ)and all the casts\. You also can follow Equity on[X](https://twitter.com/EquityPod)and[Threads](https://www.threads.net/@equitypod), at @EquityPod\. Anthony Ha is TechCrunch’s weekend editor\. Previously, he worked as a tech reporter at Adweek, a senior editor at VentureBeat, a local government reporter at the Hollister Free Lance, and vice president of content at a VC firm\. He lives in New York City\. You can contact or verify outreach from Anthony by emailing[anthony\.ha@techcrunch\.com](mailto:[email protected])\. [View Bio](https://techcrunch.com/author/anthony-ha/) Theresa Loconsolo is an audio producer at TechCrunch focusing on Equity, the network’s flagship podcast\. Before joining TechCrunch in 2022, she was one of 2 producers at a four\-station conglomerate where she wrote, recorded, voiced and edited content, and engineered live performances and interviews from guests like lovelytheband\. Theresa is based in New Jersey and holds a bachelors degree in Communication from Monmouth University\. You can contact or verify outreach from Theresa by emailing[theresa\.loconsolo@techcrunch\.com](mailto:[email protected])\. [View Bio](https://techcrunch.com/author/theresa-loconsolo/) Kirsten Korosec is a reporter and editor who has covered the future of transportation from EVs and autonomous vehicles to urban air mobility and in\-car tech for more than a decade\. She is currently the transportation editor at TechCrunch and co\-host of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast\. She is also co\-founder and co\-host of the podcast, “The Autonocast\.” She previously wrote for Fortune, The Verge, Bloomberg, MIT Technology Review and CBS Interactive\. You can contact or verify outreach from Kirsten by emailing[kirsten\.korosec@techcrunch\.com](mailto:[email protected])or via encrypted message at kkorosec\.07 on Signal\. [View Bio](https://techcrunch.com/author/kirsten-korosec/) Sean O’Kane is a reporter who has spent a decade covering the rapidly\-evolving business and technology of the transportation industry, including Tesla and the many startups chasing Elon Musk\. Most recently, he was a reporter at Bloomberg News where he helped break stories about some of the most notorious EV SPAC flops\. He previously worked at The Verge, where he also covered consumer technology, hosted many short\- and long\-form videos, performed product and editorial photography, and once nearly passed out in a Red Bull Air Race plane\. You can contact or verify outreach from Sean by emailing[sean\.okane@techcrunch\.com](mailto:[email protected])or via encrypted message at okane\.01 on Signal\. [View Bio](https://techcrunch.com/author/sean-okane/) ## Most Popular