OpenAI is exploring legal avenues after concluding that Apple’s integration of ChatGPT into its devices fell well short of expectations, and a judge has ordered Apple to produce internal messages about the secretive ChatGPT deal to Elon Musk. Insiders say OpenAI suspects Apple intentionally underpromoted and poorly implemented the feature, and the company is weighing whether to press claims now or wait for related court developments that could change available evidence and timing.
At the partnership’s announcement, Apple positioned linking Siri to ChatGPT as a major distribution opportunity analogous to Apple’s earlier arrangement embedding another company’s search engine in Safari, and OpenAI expected the tie-up to drive massive customer acquisition and recurring revenue. An OpenAI executive told sources the deal "could generate billions of dollars per year in subscriptions," and company leaders say they took a significant risk based on Apple’s assurances about reach and implementation.
People familiar with the matter say Apple’s design choices undercut discoverability and engagement: users must explicitly say the name "ChatGPT" to invoke the feature, and responses are returned in small windows with limited information. Those restrictions, according to sources, reduced usage and weakened the product’s ability to convert users into paid subscribers.
The dispute unfolds amid active litigation and competition concerns. A lawsuit brought by Elon Musk alleges Apple and OpenAI conspired to favor ChatGPT and disadvantage rival chatbots; that suit survived motions to dismiss and is due for trial in October. Other reporting indicates efforts to renegotiate the Apple — OpenAI agreement have stalled, and OpenAI has declined additional work tied to Apple’s AI models since the partnership soured.
OpenAI executives say the company took a "leap of faith" because Apple did not fully explain how the integration would function, and they now worry the implementation has damaged the ChatGPT brand and subscription prospects. Internally, OpenAI is "actively working with an outside legal firm on a range of options" that could include alleging breach of contract, though company advisers prefer resolving disputes outside court if possible.
Strategically, OpenAI is likely to time any formal move to avoid interfering with its separate litigation with Musk; that near-term decision could arrive within weeks and influence what discovery and court rulings are available about the Apple deal. An anonymous OpenAI executive summarized the company’s frustration: "We have done everything from a product perspective. They have not, and worse, they haven’t even made an honest effort." Both companies did not respond to requests for comment.
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