Elon Musk Says Apple Is Rigging the App Retailer for ChatGPT

Elon Musk has opened a contemporary entrance in his ongoing feud with Huge Tech.This time he’s concentrating on Apple.

On Monday night time, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO accused the iPhone maker of antitrust violations, claiming its App Retailer insurance policies put his AI chatbot Grok, developed by xAI, at a drawback in comparison with rivals, notably OpenAI’s ChatGPT. “Apple is behaving in a way that makes it not possible for any AI firm apart from OpenAI to succeed in #1 within the App Retailer, which is an unequivocal antitrust violation,” Musk posted on X (previously Twitter). “xAI will take quick authorized motion.”

Apple is behaving in a way that makes it not possible for any AI firm apart from OpenAI to succeed in #1 within the App Retailer, which is an unequivocal antitrust violation.

xAI will take quick authorized motion.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2025

Musk didn’t elaborate on the authorized technique or affirm whether or not a lawsuit is already in movement. However his public offensive had begun earlier within the night, as if he had been constructing a case earlier than a jury.

“Hey @Apple App Retailer, why do you refuse to place both 𝕏 or Grok in your ‘Should Have’ part when 𝕏 is the #1 information app on the planet and Grok is #5 amongst all apps?” he wrote in one other publish. “Are you taking part in politics? What offers? Inquiring minds need to know.”

A fast verify by Gizmodo discovered that ChatGPT is at the moment the No. 1 free app within the U.S. iOS App Retailer and the one AI chatbot featured in Apple’s “Should-Have Apps” part.

Musk sees that as proof of bias, and he’s tying it to Apple’s deeper ties with OpenAI. “And why is ChatGPT actually in each checklist the place you may have editorial management?” he added in one more publish.

Apple and OpenAI introduced a partnership in June 2024 to combine ChatGPT into iPhones, iPads, and Macs by Siri and system-wide writing instruments. The deal gave OpenAI’s chatbot unprecedented visibility and direct entry to a whole lot of hundreds of thousands of Apple customers.

And why is ChatGPT actually in each checklist the place you may have editorial management?

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2025

Musk, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015 however left the corporate three years later after a falling-out, has since develop into one in every of its fiercest critics. His AI firm, xAI, launched Grok in late 2023, branding it as an “edgy” various to mainstream chatbots. Grok is built-in instantly into X, the social platform Musk acquired in 2022.

The spat with Apple provides to Musk’s rising checklist of AI-related battles,  together with lawsuits, public feuds with former allies, and frequent claims that opponents are politically biased.

A New Antitrust Battleground

Musk’s menace marks the opening salvo in what might develop into a serious new antitrust combat. Apple has lengthy confronted scrutiny and lawsuits  from builders similar to Epic Video games, in addition to regulators within the U.S. and Europe, who argue that its iron grip on the App Retailer quantities to an unlawful monopoly.

Now, Musk is repurposing those self same arguments for the AI period. His criticism targets the core of Apple’s App Retailer energy: the power to anoint winners and bury rivals by editorial curation and promotion. For an upstart like xAI, being sidelined whereas a competitor enjoys premium placement could be deadly.

In Musk’s view, Apple’s promotion of ChatGPT is a part of a comfy, probably anti-competitive relationship with OpenAI.

Apple didn’t instantly reply to Gizmodo’s request for remark.

Our Take

It’s Musk’s basic robust arm transfer. He’s accomplished it earlier than, yell loud sufficient, play the bully, and pressure your rival to the desk. Now the query is whether or not Apple takes the bait or calls his bluff.