Elon Musk’s AI startup, Xai, has filed a lawsuit against Apple and OpenAI in federal court in Texas, claiming that both companies have conspired unlawfully to stifle competition in the artificial intelligence sector.
The lawsuit alleges that Apple and OpenAI are attempting to maintain their market dominance, preventing companies like Xai from entering the space. Apple has collaborated with OpenAI to incorporate ChatGPT into the operating systems of its devices, including iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
Musk, who co-founded OpenAI but later distanced himself from it in 2018, has been vocal about his concerns regarding the rapid developments in AI. His attempts to push OpenAI toward a more commercial focus or to merge it with Tesla were unsuccessful.
In a recent podcast interview, Musk compared OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, to a character from “Game of Thrones,” suggesting a lack of trust in Altman’s leadership of such a powerful AI-driven company. Musk appears to want tighter control over AI capabilities.
Earlier this month, Musk indicated that he might take legal action against Apple if the company did not promote X and the Grok app on its platform, criticizing their practices as limiting for other AI companies aiming for success in the App Store.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT has emerged as an incredibly popular consumer application since its launch in late 2022. Meanwhile, Musk’s Xai integrated Grok, its chatbot, into Tesla vehicles and acquired X for $33 billion in March to bolster its capabilities.
Xai, established two years ago, competes with OpenAI, which is supported by Microsoft, and other firms such as the Chinese startup Deepseek. Following earlier discussions about their collaboration, Apple and OpenAI announced in June 2024 that they would work to integrate ChatGPT features into various Apple operating systems.
