Apple accused OpenAI of systematically luring away its hardware experts and pilfering trade secrets. It claimed to have sent a letter in February 2026 to Che Chang, General Counsel of OpenAI, voicing its concerns, but received no reply. However, an NBC investigation uncovered that Gabriel Gross, Apple's external legal counsel, had inadvertently sent an email reply meant for a former Apple employee named Wang to Che Chang instead. The email referenced a phone call that had never occurred, prompting Che Chang to doubt whether Apple had fabricated the facts. Although Gross issued an apology and clarified the situation the following day, the communication between the two parties was severely disrupted. Subsequently, OpenAI stated that it had not heard from Apple again until July 10, when Apple formally initiated the lawsuit. The breakdown in communication caused by the misdirected email deprived both sides of the chance to reach an out-of-court settlement.