Elon Musk Slams Apple's App Store Practices, Threatens Legal Action

Elon Musk has criticized Apple for allegedly favoring OpenAI's ChatGPT in its App Store rankings, claiming that Apple prevents other apps from reaching the top of the charts. Musk's company, xAI, plans to pursue legal action against Apple for what it perceives as antitrust violations. OpenAI's ChatGPT is currently the most downloaded free iPhone app in the U.S.

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has accused Apple of violating antitrust laws by allegedly manipulating its App Store to favor OpenAI's ChatGPT and hinder other AI companies. Musk, through his company xAI, plans to take legal action against Apple for these alleged violations. The dispute comes as tensions rise over control of AI distribution channels.

Musk initially questioned Apple's editorial choices on the App Store, expressing frustration over the exclusion of his companies' apps from the platform's featured sections. He posted on X, "Hey @Apple App Store, why do you refuse to put either X or Grok in your 'Must Have' section when X is the #1 news app in the world and Grok is #5 among all apps? Are you playing politics?" [1]

OpenAI's ChatGPT has consistently topped the App Store rankings, with Apple featuring it prominently in its editorial content and partnering with OpenAI as part of its Apple Intelligence rollout. Musk claims that Apple's actions give OpenAI an unfair advantage, making it impossible for other AI companies to reach the top of the charts. He posted, "Apple is behaving in a manner that makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store, which is an unequivocal antitrust violation. xAI will take immediate legal action." [2]

Musk's criticism comes amidst growing scrutiny of Apple's control over its App Store. In April, a U.S. judge ruled that Apple violated a court order requiring it to allow greater competition in its App Store. Apple was also fined by the EU antitrust enforcer for preventing app developers from steering users to cheaper deals outside the App Store. [3]

Musk's threat of legal action marks the opening salvo in what could become a major new antitrust fight. The dispute targets the core of Apple's App Store power: the ability to anoint winners and bury rivals through editorial curation and promotion. For an upstart like xAI, being sidelined while a competitor enjoys premium placement is a significant challenge. [4]

References:
[1] Musk questioned Apple's editorial choices on App Store
[2] Elon Musk is (once again) going after Apple
[3] Musk says xAI take legal action against Apple over App Store rankings
[4] Elon Musk says Apple is rigging the App Store for ChatGPT