Musk threatens Apple over App Store AI rankings, citing antitrust
Elon Musk has ignited a new front in his multifaceted tech battles, this time leveling threats of legal action against Apple. The entrepreneur alleges that Apple is manipulating its App Store rankings to unfairly favor OpenAI’s ChatGPT over xAI’s Grok, calling it an “unequivocal antitrust violation.” Without presenting specific evidence, Musk declared on X, “xAI will take immediate legal action,” further questioning Apple’s refusal to feature X or Grok in its “Must Have” section, despite X’s status as a leading news application and Grok’s reported position as the fifth most popular app overall. Apple has remained silent on Musk’s public accusations.
At the core of Musk’s grievance is Apple’s announced partnership with OpenAI last year, which saw ChatGPT integrated into the operating systems of iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Musk claims this alliance incentivized Apple to artificially boost ChatGPT’s App Store standing. Indeed, Reuters has noted that OpenAI’s popular chatbot currently holds the top spot in the App Store’s “Top Free Apps” section for iPhones in the US, while Grok ranks fifth and Google’s Gemini sits significantly lower at 57th. Data from Sensor Tower indicates a similar dominance for ChatGPT on the Google Play Store.
However, a community note added by X fact-checkers to Musk’s post offers a counterpoint, confirming that ChatGPT’s top position is not impenetrable. In January, for instance, another AI tool, DeepSeek, briefly surpassed ChatGPT in the US App Store rankings and maintained the lead for several days, as reported by ABC News. An OpenAI developer, Steven Heidel, also publicly quipped in response to Musk, suggesting he “blame Google for OpenAI being #1 on Android” and SimilarWeb for ChatGPT’s lead on most-visited websites, implying the broad popularity of OpenAI’s product.
Musk’s latest salvo against Apple appears deeply intertwined with his long-standing and increasingly acrimonious legal dispute with OpenAI. He previously sued the company, alleging it made a “fool” of him by deviating from its initial non-profit mission, which he claims was a condition of his early investment. This history suggests his accusations against Apple could be a strategic move to leverage recent antitrust scrutiny faced by Apple concerning its App Store practices in both the European Union and the US. It could also be a calculated publicity stunt to draw attention to Grok, positioning it as an underdog unfairly suppressed by market giants.
The legal battle between Musk and OpenAI has been particularly contentious. OpenAI has accused Musk of “substantial bad-faith conduct” in the litigation, alleging he has largely refused to participate in discovery, using delay tactics to prevent them from building a defense. They claim Musk has even defied a judge’s order by withholding his own company emails, which they describe as a predictable request given his lawsuit. OpenAI portrays Musk’s actions as a “campaign of harassment, interference, and misinformation designed to take down OpenAI and clear the field for himself.”
In their filings, OpenAI has offered several pieces of evidence to support their claims of Musk’s “unclean hands.” They point to his alleged attempts in 2017 to gain “sole control” of a for-profit restructuring of OpenAI, and a 2018 proposal for Tesla to absorb the company, purportedly to make Tesla its “cash cow.” More recently, OpenAI highlighted Musk’s co-signing of a 2023 letter calling for a six-month moratorium on all AI development—a period during which he was reportedly accelerating his plans for Grok, leading OpenAI to question the sincerity of his public stance. Furthermore, OpenAI flagged Musk’s alleged “sham bid” to acquire OpenAI for $97 billion in 2025, describing it as a “naked effort to disrupt” the company’s operations and sow confusion among employees and investors, ultimately threatening its mission.
As the lawsuit progresses, discovery is slated to conclude in December, providing OpenAI a window to gather evidence for its defense. In a significant development, OpenAI is attempting to subpoena Musk’s lawyer, Marc Toberoff, whom it claims played a pivotal role in coordinating the alleged “sham bid” for the company. Should OpenAI prevail, it could represent a considerable setback for Musk’s ambitions to dominate the AI industry. Conversely, a victory for Musk could see OpenAI stripped of “unlawful benefits” from his early investment, potentially hobbling the company just as xAI secures funding to build “Colossus,” its massive supercomputer designed to boost Grok’s capabilities.