Elon Musk has accused Apple of anticompetitive behavior, claiming the tech giant is deliberately boosting OpenAI’s ChatGPT app rankings over his own AI platform, Grok, in the iPhone App Store. In a pinned post on X late Monday, Musk questioned whether Apple was “playing politics” by refusing to highlight his products in the App Store’s top charts. Musk announced plans to file an antitrust lawsuit against Apple over the issue.
Musk’s AI firm, xAI Holdings—which includes the Grok team and the X social network—has positioned Grok as a direct competitor to ChatGPT. Currently, ChatGPT holds the top spot among free iPhone apps in the U.S., while Grok ranks fifth. Apple and OpenAI have an existing partnership for AI integration into the newest iPhone models. Representatives from both companies have not responded to Musk’s claims.
Critics note that ChatGPT has roughly 11 times more user reviews than Grok, a metric widely believed to influence App Store rankings. However, Musk argues that Apple’s relationship with OpenAI could be giving ChatGPT an unfair advantage in visibility. He also hinted that Apple’s policies may be politically motivated, though he offered no evidence to substantiate the claim.
Musk’s remarks come amid his long-running feud with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, a former co-founder turned rival. The two have clashed publicly over OpenAI’s transition toward a for-profit model, and their dispute has spilled into both legal action and public criticism.
The controversy underscores ongoing concerns from developers about Apple’s control over app visibility and market access. Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, has engaged in its own high-profile antitrust battle with Apple over similar issues. Musk’s forthcoming lawsuit could add fresh pressure on regulators to scrutinize Apple’s dominance in the mobile app market.
