Artificial intelligence company xAI instigates lawsuits against Apple for alleged antitrust practices in App Store rankings, claims Elon Musk
Antitrust Concerns Emerge Over Apple's AI App Favouritism
A heated debate has erupted over allegations of antitrust violations by Apple, with Elon Musk's AI company, xAI, accusing the tech giant of favouring OpenAI's ChatGPT over competing AI apps.
The controversy centres around the claim that Apple's App Store rankings and curated "Must Have" section disproportionately promote ChatGPT, stifling competition and limiting the visibility of rival AI apps like xAI's Grok and the social app X.
Musk's Grok AI chatbot currently ranks fifth among all free apps in the U.S., while X, the top news app, is excluded from the "Must Have" section despite its high ranking. This selective promotion, according to xAI, amounts to discrimination against competing AI apps, limiting their user reach.
The lawsuit also touches on Apple's partnership with OpenAI, including potential manipulations of the App Store charts and the integration of OpenAI technology into Apple's platforms.
Apple, in response, has maintained that its App Store curation is managed through expert algorithmic recommendations, claiming the process to be "fair and free of bias."
The issue extends beyond Apple to include disputes with OpenAI, such as Musk's separate lawsuit against OpenAI over its profit model. The controversy has also sparked broader discussions about the influence of platform gatekeepers like Apple on AI app competition through distribution and ranking policies.
As the legal action unfolds, Musk's battle with Apple over what he sees as an uneven playing field in the AI race seems to be intensifying. The exclusion of the X app and Grok from the App Store's "Must Have" section, which occurred just hours before Musk's accusations, suggests a tense standoff.
References: [1] TechCrunch. (2025, March 1). Elon Musk accuses Apple of favouring OpenAI's ChatGPT over competing AI apps. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/01/elon-musk-accuses-apple-of-favoring-openais-chatgpt-over-competing-ai-apps/
[2] The Verge. (2025, March 1). Elon Musk's xAI files antitrust lawsuit against Apple over App Store policies. Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/2025/03/01/22945419/elon-musk-xai-lawsuit-apple-antitrust-app-store-policies
[3] Reuters. (2025, March 1). Elon Musk's xAI files antitrust lawsuit against Apple over App Store policies. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-xai-lawsuit-idUSKBN2BQ247
[4] The Wall Street Journal. (2025, March 1). Elon Musk's xAI files antitrust lawsuit against Apple over App Store policies. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/elon-musks-xai-files-antitrust-lawsuit-against-apple-over-app-store-policies-11677784046
The heated dispute over Apple's alleged antitrust violations in the technology industry has extended to the realm of finance, with Elon Musk's xAI filing an antitrust lawsuit against Apple, accusing the tech giant of prioritizing OpenAI's ChatGPT over competing AI apps like xAI's Grok and X in investing opportunities within the business sector.
This lawsuit highlights the concern that Apple's App Store policies may be discriminating against competitors in the AI industry, stifling innovation and competition, not only in the tech industry but also in other sectors that rely on technological advancements.
