Elon Musk Threatens Legal Action Against Apple Over Alleged Antitrust Favoritism Toward OpenAI

Apple is facing fresh accusations from Elon Musk, who has publicly threatened legal action against the tech giant alleging it is violating antitrust laws by favoring OpenAI’s ChatGPT over competing AI apps like xAI’s Grok on the App Store. Musk claims that Apple’s behavior is deliberately preventing other AI companies from reaching the top spot on the App Store charts by giving preferential treatment to OpenAI.

In a series of tweets on August 11-12, 2025, Musk questioned why Apple has excluded his platforms—X (formerly Twitter) and Grok—from the ‘Must Have’ editorial section of the App Store, despite X being ranked as the number one news app globally and Grok ranking fifth among all apps. Musk accused Apple of playing politics and implied that the company is using its considerable influence to promote OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which has consistently remained at or near the top of Apple’s app charts throughout the past year.

Furthermore, Musk pointed out that Apple has integrated OpenAI’s technology into its Apple Intelligence initiatives, incorporating ChatGPT into tools like Siri and writing assistants, which he sees as further favoritism that stifles competition.

xAI’s Grok has been gaining traction, particularly after launching Grok 4, which the company claims outperforms rival models. Features such as "Grok Imagine," a tool to generate images and videos, have boosted Grok’s rankings dramatically in the Apple Productivity category, climbing from position 60 to number 2. This rapid rise is partly attributed to Grok being offered for free globally, challenging established players like ChatGPT.

Apple’s App Store curation policies appear to be a battleground for the rivalry between OpenAI and xAI, with editorial picks seemingly favoring more established models. The question remains whether Musk’s legal threats will materialize into formal action, as previous accusations against Apple have not led to court battles.

This ongoing competition highlights the increasingly intense contest for dominance in AI-powered applications on major platforms like Apple’s App Store, raising concerns about fair competition and platform neutrality in the rapidly evolving AI industry.