• •OpenAI filed a response to Apple’s legal action, formally denying allegations that its hiring practices involved misappropriating trade secrets.
• •The defense maintains that the litigation is legally baseless, framing the recruitment of former Apple staff as standard industry practice.
• •Legal experts note that discovery will be the critical next phase, where the strength of Apple’s claims regarding specific IP will be put to the test.

OpenAI has officially challenged Apple’s trade secret lawsuit, asserting that the claims lack substantive legal merit. The dispute follows a trend of intensifying competition for specialized AI engineering talent, where firms often clash over intellectual property mobility. While TechCrunch reports the denial, the specific evidence Apple intends to present regarding proprietary data remains undisclosed. If the case proceeds to the discovery phase, it will serve as a precedent for how far established tech giants can legally restrict former employees from contributing to rival AI research.