Bloomberg*'s Mark Gurman says Apple's decision not to name former design chief Jony Ive in its trade-secret lawsuit against OpenAI was likely deliberate, shaped partly by Apple's relationship with Laurene Powell Jobs. The 40-page complaint refers only to unnamed "former Apple leaders" despite Ive leading design on OpenAI's hardware through LoveFrom, following OpenAI's $6.5 billion** acquisition of his startup io Products.

Allegations center on former iPhone executive Tang Tan, now OpenAI's chief hardware officer, accused of coaching recruits to bypass security and bring Apple hardware to interviews. Gurman notes the decision reflects both absence of evidence against Ive—who isn't closely involved in day-to-day recruiting—and Powell Jobs' influence. The two are close friends; Ive spoke at Steve Jobs' 2011 memorial, and Powell Jobs invested in io Products and supports LoveFrom.

Naming Ive risked straining Apple's relationship with Powell Jobs, who sat front-row at WWDC alongside CEO Tim Cook and successor John Ternus—a visible show of support for Apple's leadership transition. Gurman adds that naming Ive, one of Apple's most recognizable figures, could have generated public sympathy and criticism that the lawsuit was motivated by past grievances rather than trade-secret concerns.

The suit comes as over 400 former Apple employees now work at OpenAI, whose first hardware product—a portable smart speaker—aims to compete with the iPhone long-term.