The Tesla CEO likes war and has just started a new battle now against the Cupertino company, accusing them of leaving out their AI, Grok, in favor of Sam Altman.
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Elon Musk is at war again, and this time the target is Apple. The tycoon accuses the Apple company of blatantly favoring OpenAI in the App Store, leaving his own artificial intelligence, Grok, in the background. And not only does he say it, but he threatens to take the case to court for antitrust practices.
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.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2025
xAI will take immediate legal action.
From his account in X, the Tesla CEO released several messages accusing Apple of “playing dirty” in the App Store. According to him, it is practically impossible for an artificial intelligence other than ChatGPT – OpenAI’s – to reach the top of downloads or appear in the top sections.
The problem, according to the billionaire, is not only that his assistant Grok is in fifth place while ChatGPT is at the top of the list but also that Apple, in his opinion, would manipulate how applications are displayed and give OpenAI a showcase worldwide that no other competitor can match.
In the end, both in this store and in Google’s, visibility is vital, and this is not only achieved with the quality of the app; it depends on the control that Apple, in this case, exercises over the store, something that has already been criticized at other times, such as in the battle with Epic Games over Fortnite.
With this on the table, he assures that he will take immediate legal action for what he considers a clear violation of antitrust laws. For the moment, neither Apple nor OpenAI has wanted to get wet and respond to it, as reported by Bloomberg.
A common situation for Apple app store
The truth is that the Apple company has been facing harsh criticism for abuse of power in the App Store for some time. Without going any further, a few months ago the OCU entered the battle and sued them.
They claim that the brand would have abused its position of power in the market by imposing a 30% surcharge on music subscriptions streamed through its App Store, affecting more than 500,000 users in Spain, Belgium, Italy, and Portugal.
The lawsuit, which in the future could result in a total compensation of 62 million euros, aims to compensate consumers harmed by these practices considered anticompetitive.
As for the affected platforms, they include giants such as Spotify, Deezer, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, and Tidal. The OCU argues that iPhone and iPad users were unable to compete on a level playing field with Android users because of the restrictions Apple was unfairly imposing.
A fight of egos that goes back a long way between Sam Altman and Elon Musk
But returning to the present day, and as you may already know, this type of battle that Musk normally starts with Altman is a constant, although in this case the Cupertino ones come out worse. The quarrels between these two CEOs go back a long way.
The dispute between the two dates back to the beginnings of OpenAI. Elon Musk was one of the company’s co-founders, but he distanced himself in 2018 when his attempts to integrate the company with Tesla failed. Since then, he has been a consistent critic of OpenAI’s management, accusing it of deviating from its initial mission of being a non-profit and focusing more on profitability.
The billionaire has been arguing for years that OpenAI has betrayed its original purpose by commercializing its AI technology. Sam Altman, on the other hand, argues that growth and its current business model are essential for the sustainable development of artificial intelligence. “I think he’s probably just trying to slow us down,” he said in an interview.
Elon Musk has not only launched public criticism but has also resorted to legal action. In 2024, he filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that the company had misrepresented its mission to maximize profits. But he withdrew his first lawsuit following the release of emails showing his initial endorsement of trade funding.
But he returned to the fray with another lawsuit in August of the same year, accusing the company of monopolistic practices and lack of transparency, although he has lost the lawsuit due to lack of evidence
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FAQ from Content
Q1: Why is Elon Musk in conflict with Apple?
A1: Elon Musk accuses Apple of favoring OpenAI’s ChatGPT over his AI, Grok, in the App Store, limiting its visibility and downloads.
Q2: What legal action is Musk threatening against Apple?
A2: Musk says he will take immediate legal action against Apple for what he considers antitrust violations in the App Store.
Q3: How has Apple faced similar accusations before?
A3: Apple has been accused of abusing its App Store power, such as in the OCU lawsuit over a 30% surcharge on music subscriptions.
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