Billionaire Elon Musk has announced that his AI company, xAI, will launch legal action against Apple, accusing the tech giant of violating antitrust laws through biased App Store ranking practices that allegedly favor OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, Musk stated, “Apple is behaving in a manner that makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store, which is an unequivocal antitrust violation. xAI will take immediate legal action.”
Apple is behaving in a manner that makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store, which is an unequivocal antitrust violation.
xAI will take immediate legal action.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2025
Currently, OpenAI’s ChatGPT holds the top spot on the iOS App Store’s free app rankings in the U.S., with xAI’s Grok ranked fifth and Google’s Gemini far behind at 57th, according to analytics firm Sensor Tower. Apple has a known partnership with OpenAI, integrating ChatGPT into its devices.
Musk further criticized Apple’s editorial decisions, questioning why apps like X and Grok are not featured in the platform’s “Must Have” section despite their popularity.
The announcement comes amid growing global scrutiny of Apple’s App Store practices. In April, a U.S. judge referred Apple for criminal contempt in an ongoing antitrust case, and the EU fined the company €500 million for restricting competition in violation of the Digital Markets Act.
Neither Apple, OpenAI, nor xAI have responded to media requests for comment. Musk has yet to present evidence backing his claims.
