Elon Musk is set to battle another lawsuit, this time with Apple for what he feels is discrimination against AI apps in the App Store. The billionaire business magnate accuses Apple of deliberately keeping his AI chatbot Grok at number two position while giving preferential treatment to OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
The debate is over app rankings that Musk says are rigged against competitors. Although his xAI startup has climbed from the 60s to second in Apple’s Productivity category, ChatGPT is still number one on the overall lists. Musk is not sure that this is merely a result of organic popularity.
“Clear antitrust offense,” Musk wrote on X, vowing “immediate legal action” against the tech giant. His accusation suggests Apple’s tight integration with OpenAI is establishing a skewed playing field that makes it “impossible” for others to be number one.
Elon Musk Claims Apple’s Favoritism Undermines Grok’s Success
The timing of these accusations comes as Grok and ChatGPT have been engaged in intense competition. A month ago, xAI released Grok 4 with marked upgrades over rival AI models. The firm has since introduced showstopping features such as Grok Imagine used to generate images and videos, as well as personalized buddy chatbots. Musk even made Grok 4 globally free to encourage adoption.
All of these have been successful to some extent. Grok’s App Store ranking has soared, from obscurity in the 60s to being a top contender for the number one position. ChatGPT has been a consistent presence on the charts for most of the past year, shifting only from time to time from its number one position.
Musk argues that such superiority is not necessarily based on merit. Musk points to Apple’s editorial decisions and commercial partnerships as evidence of favoritism.
ChatGPT is often mentioned in App Store marketing materials, granting it the desired exposure that others are denied. Most significantly, Apple has integrated OpenAI technology into Apple products directly through Apple Intelligence.
How Apple and OpenAI’s Alliance Fuels the AI War with Grok of Elon Musk?
This integration is built-in. ChatGPT powers Siri functionality as well as Apple’s writing software, offering a built-in experience for iPhone users.
When iPhone users pose Siri with complex questions or need help with writing, they’re often working with OpenAI’s technology without knowing it. This built-in edge gives ChatGPT a big head start over stand-alone competitors like Grok.
Apple and OpenAI’s relationship is greater than app store placement. Their union is a two-way beneficial strategic alliance. Apple receives cutting-edge AI capabilities without having to develop it all from scratch, but OpenAI receives access to millions of iOS devices. For their competitors, such as xAI, this makes it a difficult scenario where they are not only competing with another app, but with an integrated system.
Fuel to the fire is the complicated dynamic between Musk and OpenAI. He co-founded the company in 2015 to build AI responsibly for the entire human race. But the acrimonious breakup prompted him to exit, and he later sued to prevent OpenAI from going from nonprofit to for-profit. That suit remains active, adding to tension between Musk and his former colleagues.
And now, with xAI, Musk is competing head-to-head with the firm he co-founded. His Grok chatbot is both a corporate effort and a personal statement of what the future of AI is and ought to be. The success or failure of Grok carries with it implications that extend beyond market share.
Musk’s Allegations and Apple’s Stance
Apple has not issued any public statements regarding Musk’s allegations, but the company tends to justify its App Store conduct in terms of user demand and quality control. They argue that the best applications result from organic user actions and not manipulation.
The coming court fight puts broader questions of platform dominance and competition more generally in the AI industry into play. As artificial intelligence continues to move to more and more central roles in how we interact with technology, control of distribution platforms like app stores matters more.
Whether or not Musk does pursue his threatened lawsuit remains to be seen. His past is marked with both successful legal fights and threats never pursued. Nevertheless, given the stakes involved and his personal interest in the success of xAI, this war could reshape the way that AI apps compete for people’s time on mobile.
