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Elon Musk announced on Monday that his artificial intelligence startup, xAI, will pursue legal action against Apple, alleging violations of antitrust laws related to the way the company manages its App Store rankings.
“Apple’s conduct makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to secure the #1 spot in the App Store, which is a clear violation of antitrust laws. xAI will take swift legal action,” Musk posted on his social media platform, X.
He did not present any evidence to substantiate his accusations. Apple, OpenAI, and xAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters.
Currently, ChatGPT leads the US App Store’s “Top Free Apps” section for iPhones, while xAI’s Grok ranks fifth, and Google’s Gemini chatbot holds the 57th spot. On the Google Play Store, ChatGPT also tops the charts, according to Sensor Tower data.
Apple has a partnership with OpenAI, integrating ChatGPT into iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
Earlier on Monday, Musk questioned why Apple refuses to feature either X or Grok in its “Must Have” section, despite X being the top news app worldwide and Grok ranking fifth among all apps. He suggested that politics might be influencing Apple’s app store policies.
Musk’s remarks come amid increased examination of Apple’s App Store practices by regulators and competitors. In April, a U.S. federal judge found that Apple violated a court order intended to promote competition within its App Store and referred the case to federal prosecutors for a possible criminal contempt charge, stemming from a lawsuit filed by Epic Games over Fortnite.
Additionally, the European Union imposed a €500 million ($587 million) fine on Apple in April, citing restrictions that prevented app developers from steering users toward more affordable options outside the App Store, infringing on the Digital Markets Act.
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