Apple's lawsuit accusing OpenAI of systematically stealing its intellectual property could disrupt OpenAI's device ambitions long before the case is resolved. The claims may cause many Apple employees to reconsider leaving for OpenAI, and that could slow OpenAI's recruiting pipeline, keep more engineers at Apple, and reduce the flow of institutional knowledge into OpenAI. This, along with several other factors, threatens to slow development. OpenAI is reportedly still on track to announce its first product this year with a release in 2027.