Elon Musk's xAI to sue Apple over App Store antitrust claims
'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,' Musk said in a post on his social media platform X.
Musk did not provide evidence to support his claim. Apple, OpenAI, and xAI did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.
ChatGPT currently holds the top spot in the App Store's 'Top Free Apps' section for iPhones in the U.S., while xAI's Grok ranks fifth and Google's Gemini chatbot sits at 57th.
ChatGPT also leads the rankings on the Google Play Store, according to Sensor Tower data.
Apple has a partnership with OpenAI that integrates ChatGPT into iPhones, iPads and Macs.
'Hey @Apple App Store, why do you refuse to put either X or Grok in your 'Must Have' section when X is the #1 news app in the world and Grok is #5 among all apps? Are you playing politics?,' Musk said in an earlier post Monday.
Musk's comments come as regulators and rivals intensify scrutiny of Apple's control over its App Store.
In April, a U.S. judge ruled that Apple violated a court order requiring it to allow greater competition in its App Store and referred the company to federal prosecutors for a criminal contempt investigation, in a case brought by 'Fortnite' maker Epic Games.
Apple was handed a 500 million euro ($587 million) fine by the EU antitrust enforcer in April, saying its technical and commercial restrictions prevented app developers from steering users to cheaper deals outside the App Store in breach of the Digital Markets Act. - Reuters
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
7 hours ago
- The Star
Musk's bid to dismiss OpenAI's harassment claims denied in court
FILE PHOTO: OpenAI logo is seen in front of Elon Musk photo in this illustration taken March 11, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo (Reuters) -A federal judge on Tuesday denied Elon Musk's bid to dismiss OpenAI's claims of a "years-long harassment campaign" by the Tesla CEO against the company he co-founded in 2015 and later abandoned before ChatGPT became a global phenomenon. In the latest turn in a court battle that kicked off last year, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Musk must face OpenAI's claims that the billionaire, through press statements, social media posts, legal claims and "a sham bid for OpenAI's assets" had attempted to harm the AI startup. Musk sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman last year over the company's transition to a for-profit model, accusing the company of straying from its founding mission of developing AI for the good of humanity, not profit. OpenAI countersued Musk in April, accusing the billionaire of engaging in fraudulent business practices under California law. Musk then asked for OpenAI's counterclaims to be dismissed or delayed until a later stage in the case. OpenAI argued in May its countersuit should not be put on hold, and the judge on Tuesday concluded that the company's allegations were legally sufficient to proceed. A jury trial has been scheduled for spring 2026. (Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)
The Sun
9 hours ago
- The Sun
Passwords at risk as tech giants tighten security
PARIS: Fingerprints, access keys and facial recognition are putting a new squeeze on passwords as the traditional computer security method – but also running into public hesitancy. 'The password era is ending,' two senior figures at Microsoft wrote in a July blog post. The tech giant has been building 'more secure' alternatives to log in for years – and has since May been offering them by default to new users. Many other online services – such as artificial intelligence giant OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot – require steps like entering a numerical code emailed to a user's known address before granting access to potentially sensitive data. 'Passwords are often weak and people re-use them' across different online services, said Benoit Grunemwald, a cybersecurity expert with Eset. Sophisticated attackers can crack a word of eight characters or fewer within minutes or even seconds, he pointed out. And passwords are often the prize booty in data leaks from online platforms, in cases where 'they are improperly stored by the people supposed to protect them and keep them safe,' Grunemwald said. One massive database of around 16 billion login credentials amassed from hacked files was discovered in June by researchers from media outlet Cybernews. The pressure on passwords has tech giants rushing to find safter alternatives. One group, the Fast Identity Online Alliance brings together heavyweights including Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon and TikTok. The companies have been working on creating and popularising password-free login methods, especially promoting the use of so-called access keys. These use a separate device like a smartphone to authorise logins, relying on a pin code or biometric input such as a fingerprint reader or face recognition instead of a password. Troy Hunt, whose website Have I Been Pwned allows people to check whether their login details have been leaked online, says the new systems have big advantages. 'With passkeys, you cannot accidentally give your passkey to a phishing site' – a page that mimics the appearance of a provider such as an employer or bank to dupe people into entering their login details – he said. But the Australian cybersecurity expert recalled that the last rites have been read for passwords many times before. 'Ten years ago, we had the same question... the reality is that we have more passwords now than we ever did before,' Hunt said. Although many large platforms are stepping up login security, large numbers of sites still use simple usernames and passwords as credentials. The transition to an unfamiliar system can also be confusing for users. Passkeys have to be set up on a device before they can be used to log in. Restoring them if a PIN code is forgotten or trusted smartphone lost or stolen is also more complicated than a familiar password reset procedure. 'The thing that passwords have going for them, and the reason that we still have them, is that everybody knows how to use them,' Hunt said. – AFP
The Star
12 hours ago
- The Star
Fortnite developer claims win against Apple and Google
Both Apple and Google kicked Fortnite off their respective app platforms in 2020, after the game designed an in-app payments system that cut the tech giants out of the loop. — Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash SYDNEY: An Australian court has found Apple and Google misused their market power in a dispute with the maker of wildly popular video game Fortnite. Both Apple and Google kicked Fortnite off their respective app platforms in 2020, after the game designed an in-app payments system that cut the tech giants out of the loop. Developer Epic Games retaliated by launching legal action against the tech giants in a string of courtrooms around the world. Australia's Federal Court this week found the tech firms' app-store dominance reduced competition, likely forcing game developers to pay higher commission fees. "This is a WIN for developers and consumers in Australia!" Epic Games said in a statement Tuesday. Justice Jonathan Beach however rejected Epic Games' claims that Apple and Google engaged in unconscionable conduct. A Google spokesperson said the company disagreed with some of the court's findings and would "review the full decision when we receive it and assess our next steps". Australian lawyers have lodged a class action suit seeking compensation from Apple and Google on behalf of game users and developers. "The judgement is a turning point," said Kimi Nishimura from Maurice Blackburn Lawyers. "It sends a clear message that even the most powerful corporations must play by the rules and respect the rights of consumers and developers alike." Fortnite is one of the most popular video games in the world, laying claim to hundreds of millions of registered players. – AFP
