Elon Musk Threatens Legal Action Against Apple Over App Store Rankings

Elon Musk said Monday that his artificial intelligence startup xAI will take legal action against Apple, accusing the tech giant of violating antitrust laws through its App Store ranking practices.

Credit: TESLA

Musk claimed Apple is making it impossible for any AI company other than OpenAI to reach the top spot in the App Store, calling it a clear antitrust violation. He made the statement on his social media platform X.

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

OpenAI’s ChatGPT currently holds the No. 1 position in the App Store’s “Top Free Apps” section in the United States, while xAI’s Grok ranks fifth.

Musk also questioned why Apple does not feature X or Grok in its “Must Have” section, despite X being the top news app globally and Grok ranking fifth among all apps.

Credit: OpenAI

OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman responded to Musk’s claims, calling them “remarkable” and referencing allegations that Musk manipulates X to benefit his own companies and harm competitors.

Users on X noted that other AI apps have reached the top spot in the App Store this year. Chinese AI app DeepSeek was No. 1 in January, and Perplexity topped India’s App Store in July, both after Apple’s partnership with OpenAI began.

Musk’s accusations come amid growing scrutiny of Apple’s App Store practices by regulators and competitors.

Earlier this year, the European Union fined Apple 500 million euros (USD 581.15 million), stating the company’s restrictions prevented developers from directing users outside the App Store.

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• Elon Musk said xAI will sue Apple over alleged antitrust violations

• Musk claims Apple favours OpenAI in App Store rankings

• xAI’s Grok ranks fifth, while ChatGPT holds the top spot

Source: REUTERS