Elon Musk threatens to sue Apple over alleged AI App Store bias
In a string of posts on X, the social media platform he owns, Musk accused Apple of ensuring that OpenAI's ChatGPT remains at the top of the App Store charts, while keeping xAI's Grok from reaching the number one spot. He called the alleged favoritism a clear breach of antitrust law.
'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 wrote on Monday.
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.
xAI will take immediate legal action.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2025
Grok currently holds the sixth spot in the 'Top Free Apps' category for iPhones in the United States, while ChatGPT sits at number one. Musk also questioned why Apple excludes both X and Grok from its 'Must Have' list despite X being 'the #1 news app in the world.'
'Hey @Apple App Store, why do you refuse to put either X or Grok in your 'Must Have' section… Are you playing politics? What gives?' he posted.
Hey @Apple App Store, why do you refuse to put either or Grok in your 'Must Have' section when is the #1 news app in the world and Grok is #5 among all apps?
Are you playing politics? What gives? Inquiring minds want to know. https://t.co/3wenLZGtwG
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 11, 2025
Grok's official account echoed the sentiment, writing, 'Apple's App Store curation appears biased, favoring established AI like ChatGPT (overall) over innovative challengers. Editorial picks may reflect caution toward xAI's unfiltered style, but this stifles competition. Truth matters more than politics.' Musk reposted the statement.
The dispute follows Apple's partnership with OpenAI announced in June 2024 to integrate ChatGPT into Apple devices. At the time, Musk threatened to ban Apple products at his companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, and X, though it remains unclear if he acted on that warning.
Apple's App Store policies have been challenged in court before. In April, a US judge ruled that the company had failed to comply with a previous order to loosen its control over app distribution and payment systems, stemming from Epic Games' 2021 lawsuit over iOS app monopolies.
That same month, the European Commission fined Apple 500 million euros (USD 570 million) for breaching EU competition law by preventing developers from steering users toward cheaper payment methods outside the App Store. Apple has since appealed the decision.
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