Elon Musk Threatens To Sue Apple Over App Store Rankings

Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest individual, has accused Apple of breaching antitrust regulations and warned of legal action regarding the ranking of his X social media platform and Grok AI tool in the iPhone maker’s App Store.

The billionaire asserted that Apple’s policies render it “impossible” for any AI company except OpenAI, headed by Sam Altman, to achieve top rankings, labeling the practice “an unequivocal antitrust violation.”

Musk declared that his xAI company, which builds Grok and owns X, “will take immediate legal action.” He further claimed that the App Store declined to include X or Grok in its “Must Have” section.

Currently, OpenAI’s ChatGPT occupies the number one position among free App Store downloads, while Grok sits in sixth place.

Altman responded to Musk’s accusations in a post on X, stating:

“This is a remarkable claim given what I have heard alleged that Elon does to manipulate X to benefit himself and his own companies.”

The conflict adds to Musk’s ongoing public disputes, including confrontations with Altman and former U.S. president Donald Trump. Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 but departed in 2018, later becoming a vocal critic.

Apple is already facing scrutiny over its App Store practices. Earlier this year, the European Union imposed a €500mn fine on the company for antitrust violations, accusing it of preventing developers from guiding users to offers outside its platform.

Both Grok and ChatGPT have recently unveiled updated AI models, though some early users have voiced disappointment over the extent of the enhancements.

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli