Updated
Updated · NBC News · Jul 14
Apple-OpenAI Talks Collapsed Over 1 Attorney Email Mix-Up, NBC Says
Updated
Updated · NBC News · Jul 14

Apple-OpenAI Talks Collapsed Over 1 Attorney Email Mix-Up, NBC Says

3 articles · Updated · NBC News · Jul 14

Summary

  • Emails reviewed by NBC News show OpenAI did answer Apple in February, undercutting Apple’s lawsuit claim last week that OpenAI “never responded” to its trade-secret concerns.
  • The exchange then stalled after an outside lawyer for Apple mixed up the names and email addresses of two OpenAI employees with the surnames Wang and Chang, according to OpenAI.
  • That error appears to have derailed the talks before Apple sued, shifting attention from the alleged trade-secret dispute to how the communication breakdown unfolded.
  • The report adds a new wrinkle to the legal fight by suggesting Apple’s account of the failed outreach omitted a key response from OpenAI.

Insights

Will Apple’s corporate espionage lawsuit derail OpenAI’s trillion-dollar IPO plans?
Beyond poaching 400 employees, what evidence proves OpenAI’s hardware is built on stolen Apple secrets?
Is the Apple vs. OpenAI battle a sign the AI industry's 'growth at all costs' model is collapsing?