This week, a familiar rumble shook the tech world. Elon Musk, never one to shy from a public fight, threatened to sue Apple. His target? The way Apple ranks apps in its App Store. He believes Apple is playing favorites, specifically with its AI chatbot listings.
Musk’s anger stems from what he calls “antitrust violations.” He points to the ranking of Grok AI, the chatbot from his own artificial intelligence startup, xAI. According to Musk, Apple is making it impossible for any AI company, except for OpenAI, to hit the top spots in the App Store.
It’s worth remembering that Apple teamed up with OpenAI just last year. This partnership brought ChatGPT directly into Apple products like iPhones, iPads, and Macs. At that time, Musk had strong words, threatening to ban Apple devices from his companies. He saw the deep integration of OpenAI into Apple’s operating system as an “unacceptable security violation.”
Now, he’s taking it a step further. The xAI founder posted on X, stating that xAI will take “immediate legal action” against Apple. He publicly wondered why Apple won’t put X, his social media platform, or Grok into its “Must Have” section. Musk highlighted that X is the top news app globally, and Grok ranks fifth among all apps. He asked, “Is it playing politics?”
Sam Altman Throws a Punch Back
OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, quickly jumped into the conversation. He responded to Musk’s threats with his own post on X. Altman wrote:
This is a remarkable claim given what I have heard alleged that Elon does to manipulate X to benefit himself and his own companies and harm his competitors and people he doesn’t like. https://t.co/HlgzO4c2iC
— Sam Altman (@sama) August 12, 2025
Altman’s message clearly aimed to turn the tables. He suggested that Musk’s claim was ironic, given what he himself has “heard alleged that Elon does to manipulate X” to help his own businesses and hurt rivals.
A New Arena for Antitrust Battles
Musk’s threat signals the start of what could become a major new antitrust fight. Apple has faced similar issues before. Developers, like Epic Games, and regulators in the US and Europe have already sued Apple. They argue that Apple’s strict control over its App Store acts as an illegal monopoly.
Now, Musk is using these same arguments, but for the world of AI. For a newer company like xAI, being pushed aside while a competitor gets favored treatment can be devastating. Musk believes Apple’s choice to highlight ChatGPT comes from a too-close relationship with OpenAI, one that harms fair competition.