Musk threatens Apple with legal action over perceived disadvantage allegations - Musk asserts legal action against Apple, claiming unfair treatment
Musk Accuses Apple of Antitrust Violation and App Store Discrimination
Elon Musk, the tech billionaire, has announced plans to sue Apple over allegations of app store discrimination and anticompetitive practices. According to Musk, Apple manipulates App Store rankings to favor OpenAI’s ChatGPT and related AI apps, systematically preventing Musk's Grok chatbot from gaining comparable prominence [1][3][4].
This legal threat, made public in August 2025, is framed as an antitrust lawsuit targeting Apple's dominance and alleged abuse of market power in app distribution on iOS devices. Musk argues that despite strong user downloads and demand, Grok is unfairly suppressed because Apple deepened its collaboration with OpenAI, promoting competitor apps in its ecosystem [1].
In response, Apple has firmly denied any wrongdoing, insisting that its App Store rankings are based on impartial algorithms and objective criteria, with multiple AI apps—including Perplexity and DeepSeek alongside ChatGPT—being fairly featured [2][4]. Apple’s rebuttal highlights the diversity of AI apps on the platform to counter Musk’s claims of bias favoring OpenAI [2].
The confrontation reflects ongoing broader concerns about platform neutrality, antitrust enforcement, and the competitive balance within the tech industry and AI market. Should the lawsuit proceed, it could lead to regulatory scrutiny of Apple’s App Store policies, possibly mandating reforms to ensure more equitable app visibility and competition [1][4].
It's important to note that this is not the first time Musk has been involved in disputes with tech companies. He has ongoing legal interactions with OpenAI unrelated to Apple [5]. Moreover, the dispute could potentially impact the position of other AI firms in the download charts on the Apple platform.
The accusation is centered around Apple not including the applications of Musk's online platform X and AI chatbot Grok in editorially curated recommendation lists in the App Store. If not resolved amicably, the dispute could lead to a legal lawsuit. Musk has threatened to sue Apple over the alleged discrimination.
References:
- The Verge
- TechCrunch
- Bloomberg
- Reuters
- Ars Technica
I'm not sure I'm ready for this legal battle with Apple, as our AI chatbot Grok and X applications have not been given fair representation in the App Store's editorially curated lists, despite strong user demand and downloads. This raises concerns about business practices in the technology sector, particularly finance-driven decisions that potentially favor certain AI businesses over others.
