Musk Firms Drop Apple Antitrust Claims, Keep OpenAI Case
Apple announced Apple Intelligence on June 10, 2024, with ChatGPT integrated into iPhones and other devices. X Corp and xAI sued Apple and OpenAI in federal court in Fort Worth, Texas, on Aug. 25, 2025, alleging the arrangement shut out rival chatbots such as Grok and protected monopolies in smartphones and generative AI. The companies sought billions of dollars in damages, making the case a test of how antitrust law applies to platform-level AI partnerships.
U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman on Sept. 14, 2026, granted a request from X Corp and SpaceXAI, xAI’s successor within SpaceX, to dismiss all claims against Apple with prejudice, barring them from being refiled. The filing disclosed neither a reason nor any settlement terms or payment. Claims against OpenAI Foundation, OpenAI LLC and OpenAI OpCo LLC remain. OpenAI, which denies wrongdoing and calls the litigation a campaign of lawfare, said it was not part of the Apple resolution and asked to see the agreement.
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The history behind this eventApple Sues OpenAI Over Alleged Theft of AI Hardware Secrets
Apple and OpenAI began as partners in 2024, when Apple agreed to integrate ChatGPT into Siri. The relationship shifted as OpenAI moved into consumer devices, announcing in May 2025 a roughly $6.5 billion acquisition of io Products, the hardware venture co-founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive. The dispute now centers on control of the post-smartphone interface: Apple’s product-design and supply-chain expertise against OpenAI’s effort to build a dedicated physical gateway for artificial intelligence.
On July 10, 2026, Apple sued OpenAI, io Products, hardware chief Tang Yew Tan and engineer Chang Liu in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Apple alleges OpenAI has hired more than 400 former Apple employees and solicited parts and confidential information during interviews. The complaint says Liu downloaded dozens of files, including a compilation exceeding 1,000 pages. Apple later sent preservation notices to about 40 former employees at OpenAI. OpenAI said it has no interest in rivals’ trade secrets and is unaware of evidence supporting the complaint.
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