Elon Musk has taken to X, formerly known as Twitter, to criticize Sam Altman of OpenAI, following his earlier threats of legal action against Apple. Musk has accused the App Store of breaching antitrust laws by favoring ChatGPT over his own Grok chatbot.
“Apple’s actions make it nearly impossible for any AI companies outside of OpenAI to achieve the top spot on the App Store. This seems like a clear violation of antitrust laws. Xai is preparing to take immediate legal action,” Musk stated in a post. He expressed concerns that both X and Grok were excluded from the App Store’s prominent listings when users searched for top news apps, raising suspicions of Apple “playing politics.”
Apple has yet to respond to Musk’s accusations regarding the App Store.
In a retort to Musk, Altman commented, “It’s surprising to hear this, given that I’m told Elon is trying to manipulate X for his benefit while also undermining others.” The critique quickly escalated, moving beyond follower counts into more personal territory.
“You racked up 3 million views on your post, while I received far fewer despite having many more followers!” Musk replied later in the day.
Altman remarked that the difference in views may be due to “skill issues” or “bots” affecting Musk’s engagement. He further challenged Musk, asking if he could swear that he had not attempted to manipulate the X algorithm to disadvantage competitors or assist his own interests.
The exchange continued with Musk posting about an hour later.
Last year, Apple collaborated with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT with its products, including iPhones and iPads. Musk had previously warned, “If Apple embeds OSIAI at the system level, devices from my company may be banned, as this poses a serious security risk.”
This exchange marks the latest chapter in Musk’s long-standing conflict with OpenAI, a company he co-founded in 2015 but distanced himself from in 2018.
In February 2024, Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Altman, claiming betrayal over a partnership with Microsoft, which he felt undermined the original mission of the organization. Although he withdrew the lawsuit in June, he altered it two months later.
Prior to their verbal skirmishes, Musk had publicly praised the Grok chatbot’s performance on the App Store.
Xai recently launched Grok 4, while OpenAI announced GPT-5 soon after.
Musk’s legal threats follow the departure of Robert Kiel, Xai’s legal head, who has stepped down to spend more time with his family.
OpenAI and Xai have not yet responded to requests for comments regarding these developments.
In a broader context, Apple is currently grappling with a significant lawsuit from the Department of Justice, which claims the company holds an unlawful monopoly in the smartphone market. Additionally, in June, Apple lost a bid to halt changes to its App Store after a ruling prevented it from charging fees for links to in-app payment options.
