plowunited.net – Elon Musk has accused Apple of committing an “unequivocal antitrust violation” by favoring OpenAI over his AI startup xAI in the App Store. In a post on X, he alleged that Apple has made it impossible for competing AI apps to reach the top of the rankings. Musk claimed xAI would take immediate legal action but did not provide supporting evidence or legal details.
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This criticism follows another post Musk pinned to his profile, where he publicly challenged Apple. He questioned why Apple refused to feature either X or Grok in its “Must Have” app section. Musk argued that X is the “number one news app in the world,” while Grok ranks fifth among all apps. “Are you playing politics? What gives?” he wrote, tagging Apple directly in the post.
Apple responded through a statement to Bloomberg, denying any wrongdoing. A company spokesperson said the App Store operates with fairness and neutrality. They emphasized that recommendations and curated lists are created by experts using objective criteria. Apple maintains that it works with a wide range of developers to promote apps across evolving categories.
Musk’s claims arrive as Apple deepens its partnership with OpenAI, integrating ChatGPT into its new Apple Intelligence features. This integration has fueled speculation around preferential treatment, especially in light of OpenAI’s tools becoming part of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe 26 launching in September.
Industry Reactions and the Broader AI Competition
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, responded to Musk’s accusations directly on X. He called Musk’s claim “remarkable,” and pointed out that Musk has faced similar allegations himself. According to Altman, critics have long argued that Musk uses his control over the X platform to elevate his own companies and suppress competitors.
Musk’s broader concerns may stem from Apple’s growing reliance on OpenAI technology. Apple Intelligence, announced earlier this year, will use GPT-5 for handling cloud-based tasks across Apple’s operating systems. While Apple insists its recommendation system is unbiased, the timing of these integrations has raised eyebrows.
It is worth noting that ChatGPT has not always been the top app on the App Store. In January, Chinese-developed DeepSeek AI briefly became the most downloaded free app, surpassing even ChatGPT. This undermines the claim that Apple consistently favors OpenAI in rankings.
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Still, Musk’s latest statements highlight increasing tensions in the AI space. As major tech companies compete for dominance, claims of bias and platform manipulation are becoming more common. With Musk threatening legal action and Apple standing by its policies, this dispute could intensify.
The outcome may set precedents for how app ecosystems treat AI tools going forward. Developers, users, and regulators alike will be watching closely as the story unfolds in the lead-up to Apple’s major OS releases in September.
