Apple sues OpenAI over trade secrets as Siri moves to Gemini
The two biggest names in consumer tech and AI are now in court. On July 10, 2026, Apple sued OpenAI in federal court in Northern California, accusing it of a coordinated campaign to steal trade secrets — and, separately, confirmed that its revamped Siri will be powered by Google's Gemini rather than OpenAI's models.
What Apple alleges
Apple's complaint centres on people, not code. It claims OpenAI's hardware chief — a former Apple vice-president — directed Apple employees interviewing at OpenAI to bring "actual parts" from unreleased Apple products to "show and tell" sessions. It further alleges OpenAI coached departing Apple staff on how to evade the company's exit-security processes, and that a former employee walked off with an Apple laptop. Apple is seeking damages and an injunction to stop OpenAI from using the material. OpenAI has denied the suit has merit.
The Siri twist
The timing is pointed. Apple's updated Siri, due this fall, is built on Google's Gemini — not ChatGPT — after Apple chose Google as its go-forward AI partner earlier in the year. A company suing its former partner while handing the marquee AI slot to that partner's biggest rival is not a coincidence; it's a signal of how far the Apple–OpenAI relationship has fallen.
Why it matters for the tools you use
Two things. First, the assistant on a billion iPhones switching to Gemini is a massive distribution win for Google and reshapes which AI most people touch daily. Second, a high-profile lawsuit lands at an awkward moment for OpenAI, which is reportedly moving toward an IPO — legal overhang is exactly what investors dislike. However it resolves, the era of frenemy partnerships between Big Tech and the AI labs is clearly ending, and the competitive lines are hardening.