Sam Altman says he's 'a mega Apple fan boy' and is sad they are suing OpenAI
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed sadness over Apple's lawsuit against his company, despite describing himself as a 'mega Apple fanboy.' The legal dispute centers on allegations that former Apple employees took trade secrets to OpenAI, marking a significant shift in their previous partnership.
Why it matters
The conflict highlights the growing tension between AI developers and established tech giants as they compete for dominance in the consumer technology space.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman looks past then-Apple CEO Tim Cook during a dinner for tech leaders at the White House in September 2025. Bloomberg/Getty Images OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is a self-described "mega Apple fanboy." Altman said he was "very sad" to see Apple sue OpenAI. The legal fight illustrates how frayed the relationship between the two companies has become. Sam Altman 's love for Apple is being tested by that pesky detail: the Cupertino tech giant's lawsuit against OpenAI. "I'm like a mega Apple fanboy, and I was very sad about that," Altman told tech journalist Alex Heath during a recent interview. In July, Apple sued OpenAI , accusing the ChatGPT creator of a "coordinated pattern of misconduct at an institutional level" to steal Apple's closely held secrets.
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