Elon Musk to Sue Apple Over Alleged App Store Ranking Manipulation

Elon Musk states that his artificial intelligence firm, xAI, plans to pursue immediate legal measures against Apple. He accuses the tech giant of skewing App Store rankings to favor competing AI applications. In a series of posts on X Monday evening, Musk implied that Apple is engaging in political maneuvering by omitting both X and xAI's Grok chatbot from the App Store's featured iOS app recommendations. He claimed this left him no alternative but to take legal action.

“Apple's conduct effectively prevents any AI company other than OpenAI from reaching the top position on the App Store, which constitutes a clear antitrust breach,” Musk asserted. In another post now pinned to his profile, the xAI chief questioned Apple directly: “Why are X, the world’s leading news app, and Grok, ranked fifth among all applications, excluded from your ‘Must Have’ section?”

Musk did not present evidence to support these allegations, and it remains uncertain whether he has formally filed the lawsuit.

According to Bloomberg, Apple issued a statement through an unnamed spokesperson, maintaining that the App Store is “engineered to be equitable and impartial... We showcase thousands of apps via charts, algorithm-based suggestions, and expert-curated lists determined by objective standards.” The Verge has also contacted xAI and OpenAI for additional remarks.

Currently, ChatGPT holds the number one spot among free iPhone apps in the U.S. Apple App Store, with Grok in sixth place. It is worth noting that DeepSeek AI from China briefly surpassed ChatGPT in January, contradicting Musk’s assertion that no other AI app could achieve the top ranking.

Musk’s allegations of interference are especially pointed in light of claims about changes made to X following his 2022 acquisition of the platform, then called Twitter. A 2024 research paper indicated that X’s algorithm had been adjusted to favor content from Musk’s account. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, replied to Musk’s posts by referencing a 2023 Platformer investigation that similarly concluded Musk had a mechanism in place to amplify his posts across the platform. Additionally, in June, the Grok chatbot—which claims to pursue “maximum truth-seeking”—was discovered to consult Musk’s views before responding to contentious issues involving Israel and Palestine, U.S. immigration, and abortion.

This dispute is not the first between Musk, Apple, and OpenAI. Musk was among OpenAI’s original founders and has previously confronted the AI startup through litigation and a universally declined buyout offer of $97.4 billion, objecting to its shift toward a for-profit model. After OpenAI and Apple announced a collaboration to embed ChatGPT into iPhones, iPads, and Macs last year, Musk warned he would prohibit Apple devices across his companies if OpenAI’s technology was integrated into Apple’s operating systems.

Update, August 12th: Included Apple's statement provided to Bloomberg.