OpenAI Reportedly Weighs Legal Action Against Apple

Tensions are reportedly rising between OpenAI and Apple over their high-profile ChatGPT partnership, with reports claiming OpenAI is now exploring possible legal action against the iPhone maker.

According to Bloomberg, OpenAI has hired an outside law firm to evaluate its legal options after becoming increasingly frustrated with how Apple handled the integration of ChatGPT into its ecosystem. While a full lawsuit may not happen immediately, the company is reportedly considering sending Apple a formal breach-of-contract notice once its ongoing legal battle with Elon Musk reaches a conclusion.

The dispute centers around expectations tied to the partnership announced during Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2024 in June 2024.

At the time, the deal was viewed as a major breakthrough for OpenAI. ChatGPT became integrated into Apple’s operating systems through Siri and the iPhone’s Visual Intelligence features, allowing users to analyze photos and surroundings with AI-powered assistance.

Many analysts expected the partnership to dramatically expand ChatGPT’s reach and potentially generate billions of dollars in new subscriptions for OpenAI by placing its technology inside one of the world’s largest mobile ecosystems.

However, Bloomberg reports that OpenAI now believes the integration failed to deliver the visibility and user adoption it had anticipated. Sources claim the company felt ChatGPT’s features were buried deep within Apple’s software experience, making them difficult for users to discover.

One OpenAI executive reportedly told Bloomberg that Apple asked the company to “take a leap of faith” regarding the partnership’s future potential, but the expected results never materialized.

Apple reportedly has its own concerns as well. According to the report, the company has questioned OpenAI’s privacy practices and has also become uneasy about OpenAI’s expanding hardware ambitions — particularly because several former Apple executives are now involved in those efforts, including legendary former design chief Jony Ive.

The growing friction is not unusual for Apple partnerships.

Over the years, several major technology companies have experienced strained relationships with Apple after initially collaborating closely with the company.

Google famously partnered with Apple during the early iPhone years, with Google Maps serving as a core feature of the original iPhone. But tensions escalated after Google launched Android, eventually leading Apple to replace Google Maps with its own mapping platform in 2012 — a move that resulted in widespread criticism and a rare public apology from Tim Cook.

Adobe also clashed with Apple after Steve Jobs refused to support Flash on iPhones and iPads, a decision that heavily contributed to Flash’s eventual decline.

Meanwhile, Spotify spent years accusing Apple of using App Store policies to disadvantage competing music services after launching Apple Music. In 2024, European regulators fined Apple nearly €1.8 billion over antitrust concerns tied to music streaming competition.

Despite past conflicts, Apple has also rebuilt partnerships when business interests aligned. Earlier this year, Google reportedly became a major AI infrastructure partner for Apple Intelligence through a multiyear Gemini-related agreement valued at around $1 billion annually.

At the same time, OpenAI itself has been navigating several complicated relationships. The company remains locked in a legal dispute with Elon Musk, who accuses OpenAI of moving away from its original nonprofit mission.

Reports have also pointed to tensions between OpenAI and Microsoft as the AI company pushes for greater independence while pursuing long-term IPO ambitions.

If OpenAI ultimately moves forward with legal action against Apple, the dispute could become one of the most closely watched battles in the rapidly evolving AI industry — especially as major tech companies compete for control over the future of consumer AI platforms.

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