A 41-page complaint has brought Apple's battle with OpenAI to court, but the most intriguing aspect is who it names and who it deliberately omits. According to analyses by Mark Gurman of Bloomberg cited by multiple media outlets, Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its hardware subsidiary io Products starting on July 12, accusing them of stealing trade secrets. The complaint explicitly names three individuals: Tang Tan, Chang Liu, and Yu-Ting Alyssa Peng, but makes no mention of Jonathan Ive, the former Apple designer.

Gurman believes this omission is not an oversight, but rather a calculated decision, driven by at least three considerations. The first is the strength of the connection — in Apple's view, Ive has limited substantial involvement in this trade secret dispute, making it insufficient to bring him as a defendant.

The second layer involves personal and financial networks: Ive has a close relationship with Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Steve Jobs, and the influence of the latter in related investments and support makes directly naming Ive complicated in terms of costs and collateral effects. The third layer is about risk management in public opinion — involving this key figure of Apple's design would likely trigger endless debates about whether Apple's design authority is changing hands. Apple clearly does not want to add another public crisis about changes in design status while involved in litigation.

When the 41-page complaint meticulously lists the accusations of "learning from" OpenAI and io Products, but chooses to remain silent on Ive, this deliberate blank space itself becomes a window into observing Apple's legal strategy.