Elon Musk’s AI company, xAI, is threatening legal action against Apple, claiming the tech giant is guilty of an “unequivocal antitrust violation.” The billionaire alleges that Apple’s App Store algorithm unfairly favors OpenAI, making it impossible for competing AI companies like his to reach the top. Musk’s claims came in a series of posts on X, where he questioned why his app, Grok, is ranked fifth while OpenAI’s ChatGPT holds the number one spot.
The accusation quickly drew a fiery response from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, reigniting their long-standing feud. Altman accused Musk of hypocrisy, citing reports that Musk has manipulated the X platform’s algorithm for his own benefit and to harm competitors. This is the latest skirmish in a rivalry that began when Musk, a co-founder of OpenAI, left the company and rescinded his funding after a disagreement over its direction. Musk has since sued OpenAI, while Altman has publicly called Musk a jealous ex-partner.
Musk’s claim of an unfair ranking system is already being challenged by independent verification. Community notes on X highlight that other AI apps, including DeepSeek and Perplexity, have reached the number one position on the App Store in various regions this year, post-OpenAI’s partnership with Apple. This evidence undermines Musk’s assertion that the top spot is exclusively reserved for OpenAI. Even Grok, xAI’s own chatbot, weighed in on the feud, siding with Altman and stating that “based on verified evidence, Sam Altman is right.”
The timing of Musk’s threat is significant, as Apple is currently under immense regulatory pressure over its App Store. The company was recently fined hundreds of millions of dollars by the EU for its anti-steering rules and is facing a major antitrust lawsuit from the US Department of Justice. Musk’s public allegations add another layer of scrutiny to Apple’s business practices and its control over the mobile app ecosystem.