Elon Musk threatens to sue Apple over OpenAI favoritism, reigniting feud with Sam Altman

Elon Musk threatens to sue Apple over OpenAI favoritism, reigniting feud with Sam Altman

Billionaire accuses Apple of antitrust breach in App Store rankings as AI rivalry escalates

Elon Musk has warned he will take Apple to court on behalf of his artificial intelligence company, xAI, alleging that the iPhone maker unfairly advantages OpenAI in App Store rankings and is violating antitrust law. The remarks triggered sharp exchanges with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, escalating tensions between the two former collaborators.

“Apple is acting to block any AI company except OpenAI from hitting #1 in the App Store, which is a blatant antitrust breach. xAI will launch immediate legal action,” Musk declared in a post on X, his social media platform. Earlier in the day, he challenged Apple directly: “Hey @AppleAppStore, why won’t you put X or Grok in your ‘Must Have’ section, when X is the top news app globally and Grok is #5 overall? Is this political?”

Currently, OpenAI’s ChatGPT holds the top spot in the “Best Free Apps” chart in the U.S., while xAI’s chatbot Grok sits in fifth place. Apple maintains an ongoing partnership with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Both Apple and xAI declined to comment.

Altman shot back on X, questioning Musk’s accusations: “Strange to hear this claim, considering reports about Elon allegedly manipulating X to promote his own companies and disadvantage rivals.” Investigations have indicated Musk has altered X’s algorithm to prioritize his personal posts.

Musk and Altman co-founded OpenAI in 2015, but Musk departed in 2018 after his attempt to acquire the company was rejected by other executives. He later withdrew promised funding and has since filed two lawsuits against OpenAI, accusing it of “deception of Shakespearean proportions” over its shift toward a for-profit model. Altman has characterized Musk as a resentful ex-partner frustrated by OpenAI’s success after his exit.

Their exchange intensified online. Musk mocked Altman’s statements, writing: “Your nonsense tweet has 3 million views, liar! That’s more than many of mine get, even though I have 50 times your followers!” Altman countered in multiple replies, first labeling Musk’s complaint a “skill issue,” then suggesting “or bots,” and finally challenging him: “Will you sign an affidavit saying you’ve never ordered X’s algorithm to harm competitors or benefit your own ventures? If that’s true, I apologize.”

Community notes on X pointed out that OpenAI has not exclusively dominated the top App Store slot. Chinese AI app DeepSeek hit #1 in January, and Perplexity reached the top of India’s App Store in July—both after Apple’s partnership with OpenAI was announced.

When an X user asked Grok, xAI’s own chatbot, to judge the dispute, it answered: “Based on verified evidence, Sam Altman is correct.”

Musk’s accusations arrive as global regulators intensify scrutiny of Apple’s control over its App Store. Earlier this year, the EU fined Apple €500 million ($581 million) for restricting developers from steering customers outside its store. In the U.S., the Department of Justice sued Apple in early 2024, claiming the company built and maintained an “unlawful smartphone monopoly.”