Tesla billionaire Elon Musk has fired his latest salvo at tech giant Apple, threatening to drag them to court over what he calls “unfair treatment” of AI apps in their App Store. But here’s the twist – despite all the drama on social media, no lawsuit has been filed yet.
The Big Accusation
On August 11, 2025, Musk went on a Twitter rant (yes, on his own platform X), accusing Apple of “manipulating App Store rankings” to favor OpenAI’s ChatGPT over his own AI chatbot, Grok. According to the world’s richest man, this amounts to a “clear violation of antitrust regulations” and he’s ready to take “immediate legal action”.
But what’s really eating Musk? He claims it’s “impossible” for other AI companies like his xAI to reach the top spot because Apple is playing favorites with ChatGPT.
What The Numbers Show
The current App Store rankings paint an interesting picture:
- ChatGPT: Sitting pretty at #1 in the US App Store’s “Top Free Apps” list
- Grok (Musk’s AI): Struggling at #5-6 position
- Google’s Gemini: Way behind at #57
Musk is particularly upset that his apps X and Grok are excluded from Apple’s “Must Have” section, suggesting there might be political bias or favoritism because of Apple’s cozy partnership with OpenAI.
The Apple-OpenAI Connection
Here’s where things get spicy. Apple struck a deal with OpenAI in 2024 to integrate ChatGPT into iPhones, iPads, and Macs. This means Siri can now generate content using OpenAI’s technology – a move that’s clearly rubbed Musk the wrong way.
What makes this even more dramatic? Musk actually co-founded OpenAI but left in 2018, and he’s currently suing the company for shifting to a for-profit model. Talk about family drama in the tech world!
Missing Pieces in Musk’s Case
Despite all the noise, Musk hasn’t provided any concrete evidence to back up his claims. Neither Apple, xAI, nor OpenAI has bothered to respond publicly to these threats, which speaks volumes about how seriously they’re taking this.
The App Store rankings are determined by a complex mix of automated systems, user feedback, and Apple’s editorial choices – not exactly the kind of thing you can easily prove is being manipulated.
Apple’s Antitrust Troubles Keep Growing
This isn’t Apple’s first rodeo with antitrust issues. The company is already dealing with:
- A US judge’s ruling in April 2025 that Apple violated a court order to increase App Store competition (thanks to the Epic Games lawsuit)
- A whopping €500 million fine from the EU for restricting developers from offering cheaper alternatives outside the App Store
Will Musk Actually Sue?
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman didn’t hold back in his response, calling Musk’s claims “remarkable” considering allegations that Musk himself manipulates X to benefit his own interests. Ouch!
As of now, there’s no confirmed lawsuit filed – it’s all just Twitter threats and social media drama. But given Musk’s track record of following through on his legal threats (remember his ongoing lawsuit against OpenAI set for trial in March 2026?), this could escalate quickly.
If Musk does file a lawsuit, it could add serious pressure on Apple’s App Store dominance and potentially change how tech giants handle their app marketplaces. For now though, it’s all just billionaire Twitter beef – but hey, that’s how most tech wars start these days!
