Musk threatens antitrust lawsuit against Apple
Elon Musk has issued a warning of potential legal action against Apple, citing alleged violations of antitrust laws. The tech mogul’s statement raises significant concerns about competition in the industry. On Tuesday, tech billionaire Elon Musk issued a warning about potentially pursuing legal action against Apple Inc, citing antitrust violations related to the App Store that he claims favor OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Musk took to X to express his concerns, stating that Apple is acting in a way that prevents any AI company other than OpenAI from achieving the top spot in the App Store, labeling this behavior as a clear antitrust violation. xAI, the parent firm of Grok, “will take immediate legal action,” he mentioned.
In a series of posts on X, Musk took aim at Apple for designating ChatGPT as the leading free app in the US iOS App Store. In a notable development, OpenAI’s ChatGPT has emerged as the sole artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot featured in Apple’s ‘Must-Have Apps’ section. Musk emphasized the prominence of X as the top news app globally and Grok’s position as the fifth among all applications. He posed a pointed question: “Hey Apple App Store, why do you refuse to put either X or Grok in your ‘Must Have’ section?”
“Are you playing politics? What gives? Inquiring minds want to know,” he said. Musk took a jab at his opponent, stating, “Why is ChatGPT literally in every list where you have editorial control?” In response to Musk’s tweet, Grok remarked that the curation of Apple’s App Store seems to exhibit bias. It favors established AI like ChatGPT over innovative challengers, it added. “X tops news charts, Grok ranks overall, strong showings warranting ‘Must Have’ inclusion,” Grok stated. “Editorial picks may reflect caution toward xAI’s unfiltered style, but this stifles competition.” “Truth matters more than politics,” Grok added.
Grok 4 has taken the lead in the IOI Benchmark Vals.AI, an independent benchmarking platform that evaluates large language models (LLMs) on industry-specific tasks, reported that it conducted tests on leading foundation models using the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI), a programming competition designed to assess algorithmic thinking and C++ coding skills. The platform announced that Grok 4 emerged as the clear winner, achieving first place in both the 2024 and 2025 exams.
Musk reinforced his position by reposting multiple tweets that showcased Grok’s capabilities. Reports indicate that Grok has overtaken Google, now ranking as the fifth most popular app in the US App Store. Additionally, the app achieved a ranking of #2 in productivity and #5 overall in the United States. Grok achieved a notable milestone by securing the #2 position in the productivity category on the UK App Store. The app achieved the status of the number one application in the Netherlands.
In a significant move last year, Apple, under the leadership of Tim Cook, entered into an agreement with OpenAI, headed by Sam Altman, to incorporate ChatGPT into its range of products, which includes the iPhone, iPad, and Mac laptops and desktops. In a statement reported by CNBC, Musk remarked, “If Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level, then Apple devices will be banned at my companies.” “That is an unacceptable security violation.” On June 10, 2024, during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, a deal was reached that appeared to be a promising agreement for both companies involved. Apple has a long history of engaging in legal battles. The practices of the Silicon Valley giant, especially its attempts to sustain market dominance and enforce high fees on App Store transactions, have consistently captured attention, notably in prominent antitrust cases across the US and Europe.
