Elon Musk has ignited a new conflict with Apple. His artificial intelligence startup xAI is preparing to sue the iPhone maker for allegedly favoring ChatGPT from OpenAI in the App Store rankings over other competing apps like his Grok AI chatbot app. Musk, in a statement posted on his X social media platform, described the situation as an unequivocal antitrust violation.
Elon Musk Challenges Apple Over App Store AI Rankings in Antitrust Dispute
Overview
The controversy erupted after Musk posted a series of statements on X, the social media platform he owns. He accused Apple of making it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to achieve the top ranking in the App Store. At present, ChatGPT from OpenAI holds first place in the AI-related app ranking, while Grok from xAI occupies the sixth position.
Note that the high-profile partnership of Apple with OpenAI, announced in June 2024, added fuel to the dispute. The agreement integrated ChatGPT services into Apple devices. This solidifies its presence within the Apple ecosystem. Musk argued this alliance skewed the competitive field. He claims that this suppresses rival innovations and limits consumer choice.
Additional Details
Moreover, in response to perceived bias, Musk even threatened to ban Apple devices from all his companies, including X, Tesla, and SpaceX. Whether this threat will be implemented remains unclear. Neither Musk nor Grok has presented public evidence to substantiate claims that Apple deliberately manipulates rankings in favor of its corporate partner.
Apple has long been under legal scrutiny for its market practices. A federal judge in California ruled in April 2025 that the company violated a court order to reform its App Store. The decision followed a lawsuit by Epic Games. The game developer has criticized and later accused Apple of monopolistic control over iOS app distribution and payment systems.
The Epic Games case compelled Apple to allow developers more freedom in directing users toward alternative payment options. The European Commission also fined Apple 500 million Euros in April 2025 for restricting app developers from steering customers toward cheaper alternatives outside the App Store. Apple has since filed an appeal against the ruling.
Public criticisms from Musk extended beyond rankings. He questioned why neither Grok nor the X platform appeared in the curated “Must Have” section of Apple despite X being a leading news app. Such editorial choices, though discretionary, have significant impacts, influencing user downloads and shaping competitive dynamics within the digital marketplace.
Responses
The particular X post from Musk was seconded by his supporters. However, in a well-referenced community note below the post, other similar generative artificial intelligence applications have reached the top App Store position. DeepSeek ranked 1 overall in January 2025. Perplexity also reached number 1 in the App Store position in India in July 2025.
Sam Altman of OpenAI quote-replied on the Musk X post. He called the allegations remarkable and also alleged that Musk manipulates his own social media platform to favor his businesses and disadvantage rivals or individuals and organizations that he does not like. Both Musk and Altman have not been on good terms due to management issues at OpenAI.
FURTHER READINGS AND REFERENCES
- Altman, S. 11 August 2025. “This is a Remarkable Claim…” X. Available online
- Cooban, A. 23 April 2025. “EU Whacks Apple and Meta with $800 Million in Antitrust Fines. Meta Calls Its Penalty a Tariff.’ CNN. Available online
- Musk, E. 11 August 2025. “Apple is Behaving in Manner…” X. Available online
- 1 May 2025. “US Judge Rules Apple Violated Order to Reform App Store.” Reuters. Available online