Elon Musk is threatening to sue Apple, accusing the company of an “unequivocal antitrust violation” over its App Store rankings. On behalf of his AI company, xAI, Musk claims that Apple is unfairly favoring OpenAI, making it impossible for other AI companies to reach the number one spot. In a post on X, he highlighted the fact that OpenAI’s ChatGPT is ranked number one while his app, Grok, is only number five. This accusation has reignited a heated public feud with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
The public spat on X was a series of personal attacks and counter-accusations. Altman responded to Musk’s claim by pointing out the hypocrisy, referencing reports that Musk himself has manipulated X’s algorithm to benefit his own companies. The animosity between the two dates back to Musk’s departure from OpenAI in 2018. Since then, Musk has sued the company twice, and Altman has consistently portrayed him as a jealous and bitter ex-partner.
Musk’s central claim about the App Store being a closed system for OpenAI has been contradicted by information provided by the community on X. Users have highlighted that other AI apps, such as DeepSeek and Perplexity, have also reached the number one spot on the App Store this year. This factual counter-evidence undermines Musk’s assertion that the system is rigged. The irony was further magnified when xAI’s own chatbot, Grok, when asked about the feud, sided with Altman.
This legal threat from Musk adds to Apple’s growing regulatory challenges. The company is currently facing a significant antitrust lawsuit from the US Department of Justice and was recently fined €500 million by the EU for its anti-steering policies. Musk’s public allegations add another layer of scrutiny to Apple’s business practices and its control over the app ecosystem.
