Elon Musk is threatening to sue Apple on behalf of his AI startup, xAI, for what he describes as an “unequivocal antitrust violation.” The billionaire claims that Apple’s App Store is rigged to favor OpenAI, preventing other AI apps from reaching the top. He pointed to OpenAI’s ChatGPT holding the number one spot while his Grok app is ranked fifth as evidence of this alleged bias. This accusation has reignited a heated feud with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on X.
The public spat between the two former business partners quickly turned personal. Altman responded to Musk’s claim by questioning the billionaire’s own alleged behavior, referencing multiple reports that Musk has manipulated the algorithm of X to favor his own tweets and companies. This is the latest in a series of conflicts between the two, which began when Musk left OpenAI in 2018 and has since included two lawsuits. Altman has long characterized Musk’s actions as those of a bitter and jealous ex-partner.
Musk’s core argument that the App Store is unfairly biased against competitors has been contradicted by information provided by the community on X. Users pointed out that other AI apps, including the Chinese app DeepSeek and Perplexity, have also reached the number one spot in different App Store markets this year. This information directly challenges Musk’s assertion that the top spot is reserved exclusively for OpenAI, suggesting his claims may be unfounded.
This legal threat from Musk comes at a time of increased regulatory pressure on Apple. The company is already facing a significant antitrust lawsuit from the US Department of Justice and was recently fined €500 million by the EU for its App Store policies. Musk’s public challenge adds another powerful voice to the growing chorus of criticism against Apple’s control over its ecosystem, further complicating the company’s legal and regulatory battles.
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