Musk accuses Apple of unfairly favoring OpenAI on iPhone

Elon Musk criticizes Apple for allegedly unfairly favoring OpenAI on the App Store, accusing the iPhone manufacturer of making it impossible for anyone other than OpenAI to reach the top of the ranking. Musk threatens legal action, citing antitrust violations. Apple and OpenAI have a partnership on AI integration for newer iPhones, and the dispute marks Musk's largest since his confrontation with Donald Trump in June.

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has taken a strong stance against Apple Inc., accusing the tech giant of unfairly favoring OpenAI's ChatGPT app on the App Store. In a series of posts on his social media platform X, Musk alleged that Apple's practices make it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach the top of the rankings, which he described as an "unequivocal antitrust violation." Musk has threatened immediate legal action against Apple through his AI startup, xAI [1].

Musk's claims are based on the fact that ChatGPT currently tops the "Top Free Apps" section on the American iOS store, while xAI's AI model Grok is ranked sixth. He questioned Apple's decision not to feature either X or Grok in the "Must-Have" section, despite their high rankings. Musk's criticism comes as Apple has partnered with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT services into its devices, a move that Musk had previously criticized [2].

Apple has not yet responded to Musk's accusations. However, the company has stated that it reserves the right to highlight certain apps based on a combination of factors, including their quality, innovation, user experience, and technical excellence [3]. The App Store is no stranger to controversies, with developers long accusing Apple of charging high fees and having restrictive rules. Several regulators are currently investigating the company's app distribution practices [4].

This dispute marks Musk's largest confrontation since his public feud with former U.S. President Donald Trump in June 2021. Musk has been pushing to promote xAI, with Grok debuting as a standalone app in March. OpenAI has also released its latest AI model, GPT-5, which features prominently in the App Store recommendation post that Musk criticized [5].

References:
[1] https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/12/tech/elon-musk-threat-sue-apple-xai-app-intl-hnk
[2] https://stocktwits.com/news-articles/markets/equity/elon-musk-goes-after-apple-for-not-featuring-x-grok-prominently-on-app-store-are-you-playing-politics/chrDoeBRdeA
[3] https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/12/musk-threatens-immediate-legal-action-against-apple-over-alleged-antitrust-violations.html
[4] https://www.proactiveinvestors.com/companies/news/1076556/elon-musk-accuses-apple-of-favoring-openai-in-app-store-ranking-threatens-legal-action-1076556.html
[5] https://theoutpost.ai/news-story/elon-musk-threatens-legal-action-against-apple-over-alleged-app-store-favoritism-18965/