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Apple-OpenAI Dispute: Two Key Emails, 13-Minute Gap, Name Mix-Up Led to Communication Breakdown
An investigative report by NBC has uncovered the key details behind the communication breakdown between Apple and OpenAI that led to their lawsuit over a business dispute — two emails, a 13-minute gap, and a mistaken identity ultimately pushed both parties into court. Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI last week in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, accusing several OpenAI employees of stealing confidential and proprietary information about unreleased products, components, and supplier relationships.
Just 13 minutes after the first email, a "miscommunication" occurred.
The incident began on February 23, 2026. That day, Apple's external lawyer Gabriel Gross sent an initial email to Che Chang, OpenAI's General Counsel, at 5:53 PM, with the subject line "OpenAI former Apple employee retaining non-public, confidential, and proprietary information," along with a PDF letter and three attachments. However, only 13 minutes later, without any reply from Chang, Gross sent a follow-up email in the same thread, stating "Thank you for the call just now" and mentioning he would contact Apple again before reaching out, while also reattaching the three documents.
In reality, Gross and Chang had not spoken on the phone during those 13 minutes. Gross's second email was actually intended for a former Apple employee named Wang — who later joined OpenAI — not for Chang. This misdirected reply meant for Wang was mistakenly sent to Chang, causing a critical misunderstanding in their communication.
OpenAI maintains that the misunderstanding has been resolved, but Apple claims it "never responded."
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An investigative report by NBC has uncovered the key details behind the communication breakdown between Apple and OpenAI that led to their lawsuit over a business dispute — two emails, a 13-minute gap, and a mistaken identity ultimately pushed both parties into court. Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI last week in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, accusing several OpenAI employees of stealing confidential and proprietary information about unreleased products, components, and supplier relationships.
Just 13 minutes after the first email, a "miscommunication" occurred.
The incident began on February 23, 2026. That day, Apple's external lawyer Gabriel Gross sent an initial email to Che Chang, OpenAI's General Counsel, at 5:53 PM, with the subject line "OpenAI former Apple employee retaining non-public, confidential, and proprietary information," along with a PDF letter and three attachments. However, only 13 minutes later, without any reply from Chang, Gross sent a follow-up email in the same thread, stating "Thank you for the call just now" and mentioning he would contact Apple again before reaching out, while also reattaching the three documents.
In reality, Gross and Chang had not spoken on the phone during those 13 minutes. Gross's second email was actually intended for a former Apple employee named Wang — who later joined OpenAI — not for Chang. This misdirected reply meant for Wang was mistakenly sent to Chang, causing a critical misunderstanding in their communication.
OpenAI maintains that the misunderstanding has been resolved, but Apple claims it "never responded."
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