OpenAI CEO Sam Altman struck a note of admiration for Apple Inc.
(NASDAQ:AAPL) on Saturday, calling it an "s-tier company" while saying he is not intimidated by the iPhone maker.
That praise lands as Apple is in court accusing OpenAI of lifting confidential know-how to speed up its consumer-hardware plans, a dispute outlined in a new lawsuit over alleged hardware secrets.
"i am not afraid of apple, but i have tremendous respect for them. s-tier company," he said in a post on X. i am not afraid of apple, but i have tremendous respect for them. s-tier company.— Sam Altman (@sama) July 11, 2026 Apple's Lawsuit Marks A Turning Point Apple filed suit Friday in federal court in Northern California, alleging OpenAI misused Apple’s trade secrets as it pushed deeper into consumer devices.
Apple is seeking damages along with court orders that would block use of the information it says was taken and force OpenAI to stop related activity.
