Judge blocks OpenAI’s access to Apple’s confidential settlement with Musk’s companies

OpenAI wanted to peek behind the curtain at whatever Apple agreed to with Elon Musk’s companies. A federal judge said no. US District Judge Mark Pittman denied OpenAI’s emergency motion to compel disclosure of the confidential settlement terms between Apple and two Musk-linked entities, X Corp and SpaceXAI. The ruling, issued on September 17, 2026, keeps the deal’s specifics under seal while the broader antitrust case barrels toward a January 2027 trial, now with OpenAI standing alone as the defendant. What happened and why it matters In 2025, X Corp and SpaceXAI filed a federal antitrust lawsuit (case No. 4:25-cv-00914-P) alleging that Apple and OpenAI engaged in anti-competitive conduct. The core claim: Apple’s exclusive integration of ChatGPT into its devices, combined with preferential App Store treatment, amounted to an unfair competitive squeeze. Around September 14-15, 2026, the plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed their claims against Apple. OpenAI, now the sole remaining defendant, filed an emergency motion arguing it needed access to those settlement terms to mount its defense. Judge Pittman wasn’t persuaded. After conducting an in-camera review, he concluded that nothing in ...