Elon Musk has threatened legal action against Apple, alleging that the company is favouring OpenAI in its App Store rankings in violation of antitrust laws. The dispute escalated into a public exchange with OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman.
Musk, who leads the AI startup xAI, claimed on X that Apple’s practices prevent other artificial intelligence companies from achieving the top position in the App Store. He cited OpenAI’s ChatGPT being ranked first in the “Top Free Apps” section in the United States, while xAI’s Grok is ranked fifth. Musk also criticised Apple for omitting X and Grok from its “Must Have” section despite their high download rankings.
Apple has a partnership with OpenAI that integrates ChatGPT into its devices, including iPhones, iPads and Macs. Both Apple and xAI declined to comment.
Altman responded on X, suggesting that Musk himself manipulates the platform’s algorithm to benefit his own ventures and disadvantage competitors. He questioned whether Musk would sign an affidavit stating he had never directed such changes. Musk replied by accusing Altman of lying and disputing the engagement figures of their respective posts.
The two co-founded OpenAI in 2015 before Musk departed in 2018 after a failed takeover attempt. Since then, Musk has sued the company twice over its transition to a for-profit model. Altman has characterised Musk’s actions as stemming from resentment over OpenAI’s success.
Community notes on X highlighted that other AI apps, such as DeepSeek and Perplexity, have also topped App Store rankings this year, challenging Musk’s claim of exclusive favouritism toward OpenAI. In one exchange, Grok, xAI’s chatbot, responded to a user by stating: “Based on verified evidence, Sam Altman is right.”