Anthropic files motion to compel OpenAI on deleted-Reddit-post records in Reddit v. Anthropic

What happened: On September 21, 2026, Anthropic filed a motion to compel in San Francisco Superior Court (CGC-25-625892) seeking records from nonparty OpenAI OpCo, LLC about how OpenAI handles deleted Reddit content. The motion pursues 25 of 34 requests from a June 16 subpoena, including OpenAI's implementation of Reddit's Compliance API, deletion-event logs, evidence of deletion or suppression across systems, datasets and customer-facing products, records of outages, delays and complaints about deletion failures, and whether Reddit content can be removed or suppressed from already-trained models. A hearing is listed for November 12, 2026. Reporting by RuntimeWire, published October 4, 2026, is based on the filed motion, separate statement and declaration exhibits.

Why it matters to creators: This is a direct test of whether a creator's deletion of a post actually propagates through a licensed AI data pipeline — from Reddit's servers into a licensee's datasets and trained models — or dies at the API boundary. The outcome and any disclosures could clarify what opt-out and deletion controls actually deliver for creators in practice.

What is not yet known: The motion asks for records; it does not establish that OpenAI failed to delete content or that its models can retain or reproduce deleted material. No ruling has been issued, and OpenAI has pushed back on scope, asking that material available from Reddit be sought from the party first. Treat the requests as litigation positions, not findings.