Elon Musk Says xAI Will Sue Apple Over Alleged App Store Bias Toward Sam Altman's OpenAI: 'Unequivocal Antitrust Violation'

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk said on Monday his digital firm, xAI, will "immediately" take legal action against Apple (AAPL) for what he claims are App Store policies that unlawfully favour OpenAI and certain other apps.

"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," he said on X.

Earlier in the day, Musk posted a series of messages blaming Apple for not featuring X and Grok, operated by xAI, prominently on the App Store, despite them topping the charts.

"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?" Musk wrote.

"Are you playing politics? What gives? Inquiring minds want to know."

It is not immediately clear how Musk or xAI will challenge Apple, despite his comments being a direct escalation. According to Apple, the App Store reserves the right to highlight certain apps based on a combination of factors, including their quality, innovation, user experience, and technical excellence.

The move comes as Musk pushes to promote xAI. Grok, which has existed as an AI bot on X, debuted as a standalone app in March, putting Musk squarely in the AI race.

Last week, OpenAI released its latest AI model, GPT-5, whose branding features in the App Store recommendation post that Musk criticized.

The App Store is no stranger to controversies. Developers have long accused Apple of charging high fees and having restrictive rules, and several regulators are investigating the company's app distribution practices.

Earlier this year, Epic Games' flagship title "Fortnite" returned to the App Store after a protracted legal battle that resulted in a court order requiring Apple to let developers offer alternative billing options to users.

Editor’s note: This story was updated with Elon Musk’s latest posts on X.

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