Elon Musk Vs Sam Altman: Tech Billionaires Exchange Barbs After Former Accuses Apple Of Antitrust Violation

Elon Musk has announced plans for legal action against Apple, alleging that the tech giant is engaging in anticompetitive behaviour by favouring rival AI firms in its App Store rankings.

The billionaire claimed that Apple’s practices make it “impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store.”

“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. xAI will take immediate legal action,” Musk said in a post on X.

Musk did not provide evidence to back his accusations, but his comments quickly drew a response from OpenAI’s chief executive, Sam Altman.

“This is a remarkable claim given what I have heard alleged that Elon does to manipulate X to benefit himself and his own companies and harm his competitors and people he doesn't like,” Altman commented.

This is a remarkable claim given what I have heard alleged that Elon does to manipulate X to benefit himself and his own companies and harm his competitors and people he doesn't like. https://t.co/HlgzO4c2iC

According to a Reuters report, OpenAI’s ChatGPT currently leads the “Top Free Apps” chart in the US App Store for iPhones, followed by xAI’s Grok in fifth place, while Google’s Gemini chatbot is in 57th position. Data from analytics firm Sensor Tower also shows ChatGPT topping the Google Play Store charts. Apple recently entered into a partnership with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into iPhones, iPads and Macs.

In another post, Musk questioned Apple’s editorial choices for App Store promotion, saying, “Hey @Apple App Store, why do you refuse to put either X or Grok in your 'Must Have' section when X is the #1 news app in the world and Grok is #5 among all apps? Are you playing politics?”

The accusations come at a time when Apple is facing growing scrutiny over its App Store dominance. In April this year, a US judge ruled that Apple had breached a court order designed to boost competition in its app marketplace, referring the matter to federal prosecutors for a criminal contempt inquiry in a case brought by ‘Fortnite’ developer Epic Games, the Reuters report added.

In the same month, the European Union’s antitrust authority fined Apple $587 million, stating that the company’s restrictions had unlawfully prevented app makers from directing users toward cheaper alternatives outside the App Store, violating the Digital Markets Act.