Elon Musk has taken to social media to express his frustrations with Apple, accusing the tech giant of antitrust violations related to the rankings of his artificial intelligence chatbot app, Grok, and his social media platform X in the App Store.
In a series of posts on X, Musk announced his intentions to sue Apple, questioning why the company refuses to feature either X or Grok in its top “Must Have” section of the App Store, despite X being the #1 news app globally and Grok ranking #5 among all apps.
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“Why do you refuse to put either X or Grok in your ‘Must Have’ section when X is the #1 news app in the world and Grok is #5 among all apps? Are you playing politics?” Musk wrote.
He went on to claim that Apple's actions make it impossible for any AI company other than OpenAI to reach the top of the App Store rankings, which he described as an "unequivocal antitrust violation."
Musk further stated that his company, xAI, would take immediate legal action against Apple, per AP.
The dispute comes amid Musk's long-standing rivalry with OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT.
Musk, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015 before stepping down from its board in 2018, has repeatedly criticized the company for deviating from its original mission to develop artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity.
His legal threat against Apple is just the latest chapter in his ongoing feud with the AI company, which is now backed by Microsoft.
Musk’s comments are especially pointed given Apple’s ongoing collaboration with OpenAI. Last year, Apple integrated OpenAI's ChatGPT into its devices, including the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Musk had previously expressed strong opposition to this partnership, warning that if Apple integrated OpenAI's technology at the OS level, Apple devices would be banned at his companies due to security concerns.
In his posts, Musk accused Apple of unfairly elevating OpenAI's ChatGPT, which is the top-ranked AI chatbot in the App Store.
As of early Tuesday, ChatGPT was the top-ranked app in Apple's "Must Have Apps" section, followed by other popular apps like TikTok, Tinder, and YouTube.
Musk pointed out that despite Grok’s success and its position at #5 in the App Store, it wasn’t receiving the same recognition.
“Apple is behaving in a manner that makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store,” Musk said. “This is an unequivocal antitrust violation.”
Musk’s claims follow his celebration of Grok’s success, noting that it had surpassed Google as the fifth top free app on the App Store.
Musk’s criticism has not gone unnoticed by OpenAI. In response to his antitrust allegations, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman took to X to challenge Musk’s claims, stating: “This is a remarkable claim given what I have heard alleged that Elon does to manipulate X to benefit himself and his own companies and harm his competitors and people he doesn’t like.”
This ongoing back-and-forth between Musk and Altman is rooted in Musk’s dissatisfaction with OpenAI’s shift in direction.
After stepping down from OpenAI’s board, Musk became increasingly vocal about his concerns with the company, which he believes has strayed from its mission of benefiting humanity.
In recent months, Musk has taken legal action against OpenAI, accusing the company and Altman of abandoning its founding principles, per CNBC.
Musk’s legal threat to Apple is not an isolated incident. The tech giant has faced multiple allegations of antitrust violations in recent years.
Last year, the Department of Justice sued Apple over accusations of monopolistic practices related to its iPhone ecosystem.
Apple has also been involved in several legal battles with developers, including Fortnite maker Epic Games, which filed an antitrust lawsuit accusing Apple of using its control over the App Store to stifle competition.
In April 2023, the European Union fined Apple 500 million euros for breaking competition rules by preventing app makers from pointing users to cheaper options outside of its App Store.
Additionally, in a separate case, the EU imposed a nearly $2 billion fine on Apple for allegedly favoring its own music streaming service, Apple Music, over competitors like Spotify.
Despite these legal challenges, Apple has yet to respond to Musk's most recent accusations. As of now, there is no indication when the potential lawsuit might be filed or what legal steps Musk's company will take.