Austin, United States / Cupertino, United States – Elon Musk has accused Apple of tilting the playing field in favor of OpenAI within its App Store rankings, calling the practice an “unequivocal antitrust violation” and vowing immediate legal action.
In remarks shared on his social media platform X, Musk claimed that Apple’s approach makes it “impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1” in the store’s listings. His company, xAI, develops the Grok chatbot, which currently sits at fifth place among free apps in the United States. OpenAI’s ChatGPT, meanwhile, holds the top spot, with Google’s Gemini ranking far lower.
The billionaire also challenged Apple over its curated “Must Have” section, questioning why neither Grok nor X—ranked as the top news app globally—appear there. Apple, headquartered in Cupertino, California, has a formal partnership with OpenAI that integrates ChatGPT into iPhones, iPads, and Macs, a relationship Musk suggests gives his rival an undue edge.
These claims surface as Apple faces mounting scrutiny from regulators. In the United States, a federal judge recently determined the company had breached a prior order to open up competition in its App Store. In Brussels, Belgium, EU authorities fined Apple 500 million euros this year, citing restrictions that prevented developers from offering cheaper options outside the platform—actions seen as violating the bloc’s Digital Markets Act.
Musk, based in Austin, Texas, has not presented evidence to substantiate his latest accusations, and Apple, OpenAI, and xAI have so far declined to comment. The dispute adds a new flashpoint to the growing rivalry between technology giants vying for dominance in the fast-moving artificial intelligence market.
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