- Elon Musk says xAI will take “immediate legal action,” alleging Apple rigs App Store visibility in favor of OpenAI.
- Sam Altman counters on X, accusing Musk of manipulating X’s algorithm to benefit his own companies.
- Debate comes amid growing regulatory scrutiny of Apple’s App Store rules in the U.S. and abroad.
The Big Picture
Elon Musk alleged that Apple is making it “impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store,” and said xAI will sue, in a post on X linking to his statement. He also questioned why X and Grok aren’t featured in Apple’s “Must Have” section, while noting ChatGPT sits atop the U.S. “Top Free Apps” list and Grok ranks high. Apple has integrated OpenAI’s ChatGPT into iPhones, iPads, and Macs through a recent partnership, according to the companies. Apple and xAI did not comment.
What’s New
The exchange escalated into a public spat between two former OpenAI partners. Sam Altman replied that Musk’s accusations were “remarkable” in light of what he’s “heard alleged” about how X is run. Musk shot back over view counts and reach, while Altman prodded him to sign an affidavit swearing he never directed algorithmic tweaks on X to disadvantage rivals. Users on X, via Community Notes, pointed out that other AI apps have also topped the charts this year in certain markets, undercutting the claim that OpenAI is the only #1.
What They’re Saying
Context
Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 but left in 2018 after proposing to take control of the nonprofit’s direction; he later rescinded planned funding. Since then, he has repeatedly criticized the company and pursued legal action over its shift toward a for-profit structure. Apple’s App Store practices have drawn sustained scrutiny from regulators and rivals. In Europe, the antitrust enforcer penalized Apple over its restrictions on developers steering users outside the App Store, according to the commission’s findings. In the United States, the Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit in early 2024 alleging Apple maintains an unlawful smartphone monopoly, according to the DOJ.
What’s Next
xAI’s threatened filing could take the form of an antitrust complaint or petition for injunctive relief seeking changes to App Store placement and curation policies. Any case would test how courts view ranking, recommendation, and editorial “feature” decisions inside a dominant mobile marketplace. Expect lawmakers and regulators to watch closely for possible overlaps with existing competition probes into Apple’s platform rules.
The Bottom Line
Musk’s challenge spotlights a central question for the AI boom: who controls discovery on mobile devices. If App Store curation can materially shape which AI tools rise or stall, the legal and policy fights over that gatekeeping power will only intensify.
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