OpenAI · 2026-05-14 · major
OpenAI Hires Outside Counsel to Mull Breach-of-Contract Action Against Apple — Two-Year ChatGPT-Siri Deal Frays Over 'Buried' Integration and Missing Subscription Revenue
Bloomberg reports OpenAI has retained outside counsel to weigh options against Apple — potentially starting with a breach-of-contract notice — after the WWDC 2024 ChatGPT-Siri deal failed to deliver projected billions in subscription revenue.
OpenAI quietly retained outside counsel to weigh a breach-of-contract claim against Apple over the long-strained ChatGPT-in-Siri integration.
What is it?
Mark Gurman's Bloomberg scoop says OpenAI executives have grown frustrated that the ChatGPT-Siri partnership announced at WWDC 2024 has produced a tiny fraction of the billions in annual subscription revenue OpenAI projected. OpenAI has now enlisted an outside law firm to explore its options, which could begin with a formal breach-of-contract notice rather than an immediate lawsuit.
How does it work?
Under the original deal, Siri can hand off queries to ChatGPT and Apple's Visual Intelligence can route image lookups through OpenAI. OpenAI's complaint, per Bloomberg, is that the integration is buried — users must explicitly say 'ChatGPT', Siri's ChatGPT replies are truncated relative to the standalone app, and Apple has marketed the feature minimally. Apple's grievances back: privacy concerns and frustration over OpenAI's hardware push with former Apple design chief Jony Ive.
Why does it matter?
It signals a public rupture between OpenAI and one of its highest-profile distribution partners exactly as Apple prepares to unveil a Gemini-powered next-gen Siri at WWDC and open iOS 27 to outside models including Anthropic's Claude. Whatever breach-of-contract framework OpenAI lands on will set the template for how AI labs negotiate platform integrations going forward.
Who is it for?
AI partnership watchers, Apple platform devs, regulators tracking AI distribution power