Elon Musk is threatening to sue Apple, accusing the company of an “unequivocal antitrust violation” in its App Store. The billionaire alleges that Apple is unfairly promoting OpenAI, making it impossible for other AI companies, including his own xAI, to reach the top of the app rankings. Musk’s post on X pointed out that OpenAI’s ChatGPT is ranked number one, while his app, Grok, is only number five, suggesting a biased system. This latest claim has reignited his long-standing and bitter feud with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
The public back-and-forth between Musk and Altman on X was both personal and acrimonious. Altman, in a direct response to Musk, highlighted the irony of Musk’s accusation, given multiple reports of Musk manipulating the X platform’s algorithm to benefit himself and his companies. The two tech leaders have been at odds since Musk, a co-founder of OpenAI, left the company in 2018 and later sued it twice. Altman has frequently portrayed Musk as a resentful ex-partner who is envious of OpenAI’s success.
Despite Musk’s strong claims, community notes on X have provided counter-evidence. Users have pointed out that other AI apps have indeed reached the number one position on the App Store this year, even after Apple’s partnership with OpenAI was announced. Examples include Chinese app DeepSeek and the AI search app Perplexity, which topped the charts in different markets. This information directly challenges Musk’s assertion that the top spot is exclusively for OpenAI.
Musk’s legal threat adds to a growing list of challenges for Apple regarding its App Store. The company is currently under intense scrutiny from regulators worldwide. The EU recently fined Apple hundreds of millions of dollars for its anti-steering policies, and the US Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit accusing the company of maintaining an illegal smartphone monopoly. Musk’s intervention adds another high-profile voice to the chorus of critics calling for greater scrutiny of Apple’s market power.