Multiple reports say a private “LOL” moment involving OpenAI engineer Tang Tan helps provide context for a developing legal dispute tied to Apple. The accounts focus on Tan’s prior role at Apple, where he oversees major product design work, and on tensions connected to his former boss, John Ternus, who leads Apple’s hardware engineering organization and is described as moving into the company’s top executive role for hardware leadership.
According to the reports, Tan’s relationship with Ternus is strained. They also describe how some OpenAI staff recruited from Apple are said to have come largely from the same hardware engineering group under Ternus. Business Standard and other outlets add that Tan has connections to Apple product work, including design leadership for the iPhone and smartwatch, reinforcing his senior role before the dispute.
Fortune further reports that certain designers supported Tan for a top hardware position in 2021 rather than backing Ternus, which contributed to internal friction. Together, the sources present the lawsuit as rooted in personnel relationships and hiring dynamics between Apple’s hardware organization and OpenAI’s recruitment.
