Elon Musk has accused Apple of tilting the scales in favour of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, warning the iPhone maker of “immediate legal action” over what he claims are antitrust violations in App Store rankings. The billionaire says Apple’s platform creates an uneven playing field that makes it “impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store.”
In a post on X late Monday, Musk called out Apple directly: “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? What gives? Inquiring minds want to know.”
Apple’s ChatGPT Push
Apple has repeatedly promoted ChatGPT in its App Store features and recently integrated it into iPhones, iPads and Macs as part of its Apple Intelligence rollout in partnership with OpenAI.
This direct integration with Siri has intensified Musk’s criticism, given his history with OpenAI, which he co-founded in 2015 before departing in 2018. Musk has since accused the company of straying from its non-profit roots. He filed, and later dropped, a lawsuit against OpenAI earlier this year.
Legal and Regulatory Backdrop
Musk’s latest threat adds to ongoing tensions between him and Apple. In 2022, he criticised the company’s handling of X following his acquisition of Twitter. Earlier this year, he suggested banning Apple devices from his company over security concerns tied to its OpenAI partnership.
Apple is already under significant regulatory scrutiny. In the US, the Department of Justice and 20 states have sued the company for allegedly monopolising the smartphone market through restrictive practices. In Europe, regulators fined Apple €500 million in April for competition violations and nearly $2 billion last year over alleged favouritism toward its music streaming service.