Elon Musk Challenges Apple in App Store Dispute

On Monday, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk announced that his artificial intelligence startup, xAI, plans to take legal action against Apple. He accused the tech giant of breaking antitrust rules through the way it manages App Store rankings.

Musk said Apple’s ranking system is designed in a way that makes it impossible for any AI app—other than OpenAI’s—to reach the number one spot in the App Store. He described this as a clear violation of fair competition laws.

Sharing his statement on his social media platform X, Musk stressed that xAI will move forward with legal proceedings without delay. He argued that Apple’s current practices harm innovation and limit user choice in the fast-growing AI market.

Musk did not provide evidence to support his claim. Apple, OpenAI, and xAI did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

ChatGPT currently holds the top spot in the App Store’s “Top Free Apps” section for iPhones in the US, while xAI’s Grok ranks fifth and Google’s Gemini chatbot sits at 57th.

ChatGPT also leads the rankings on the Google Play Store, according to Sensor Tower data.

Apple has a partnership with OpenAI that integrates ChatGPT into iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

Musk’s comments come as regulators and rivals intensify scrutiny of Apple’s control over its App Store.

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In April, a US judge ruled that Apple violated a court order requiring it to allow greater competition in its App Store and referred the company to federal prosecutors for a criminal contempt investigation in a case brought by ‘Fortnite’ maker Epic Games.

Apple was handed a 500 million euro ($587 million) fine by the EU antitrust enforcer in April, saying its technical and commercial restrictions prevented app developers from steering users to cheaper deals outside the App Store in breach of the Digital Markets Act.