Apple Lawsuit Threatens OpenAI Hardware and IPO Plans

Apple filed a trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging a pattern of misconduct to extract confidential information from current and former Apple employees. OpenAI's chief hardware officer Tang Tan is named in the complaint, which Apple filed amid reports of OpenAI developing a mobile smart speaker with designer Jony Ive. The lawsuit could delay OpenAI's hardware ambitions and complicate its anticipated IPO, potentially expected as early as late 2025. Analysts suggest Apple likely filed strategically to slow a competitor, while OpenAI — fresh from a courtroom win against Elon Musk — may choose to fight rather than settle.