WASHINGTON — Elon Musk has declared that his AI startup, xAI, will take “immediate legal action” against Apple, accusing the company of antitrust violations for allegedly favoring OpenAI’s ChatGPT in its App Store rankings while sidelining his app, Grok, and his social media platform, X.
In a series of posts, Musk contested that Grok—xAI’s chatbot—ranks fifth in the App Store’s “Top Free Apps” category while ChatGPT dominates the top spot. Musk questioned why neither X nor Grok appear in Apple’s “Must Have” editorial section, despite X’s global popularity, calling it “playing politics.”
“Apple is behaving in a manner that makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store, which is an unequivocal antitrust violation,” Musk posted on his platform, X.
Musk’s allegations arrive as Apple faces increasing regulatory pressure. In April, European authorities fined Apple 500 million euros for antitrust violations—the tech giant was found to restrict developers from steering users to alternatives outside the App Store. U.S. courts have also found Apple in contempt over its resistance to reforms demanded by the Epic Games suit.
ChatGPT’s top placement may be supported by Apple’s integration of OpenAI’s model into Siri and Apple Intelligence. Musk framed this as a deliberate slight: “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?” he wrote.
Responses and Industry Fallout
Neither Apple nor xAI has issued an official statement. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responded via social media, pointing back at Musk and accusing him of similar manipulation on X, suggesting any legal challenge could prompt scrutiny of his own practices.
Broader Implications
The dispute highlights growing concerns over how digital platforms curate content and influence competition. It reflects a broader power struggle in the AI ecosystem—where ranking algorithms on major app stores can determine an app’s visibility and success. Musk’s legal threat may escalate tensions between Apple and innovative competitors, and could attract renewed attention from regulators.