Elon Musk Accuses Apple of Antitrust Violation, Plans Legal Action Over App Store Practices

Elon Musk accused Apple of antitrust violations, claiming its App Store promotion practices unfairly exclude his apps X and Grok despite their high rankings. Musk announced xAI will pursue legal action, alleging bias toward OpenAI. Apple, xAI, and OpenAI have not commented on the accusations.

Elon Musk has accused Apple of antitrust violations, alleging the tech giant’s App Store policies make it impossible for any artificial intelligence company other than OpenAI to secure the top spot in its rankings. Calling the situation an “unequivocal antitrust violation,” Musk announced that his AI venture, xAI, will take immediate legal action.

In a post on X, the Tesla and SpaceX chief questioned Apple’s app promotion decisions, specifically its “Must Have” section, where featured apps often see significant boosts in visibility. Musk claimed that despite X being the top news app globally and Grok ranking fifth among all apps, neither has been included in Apple’s recommended list.

“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?” Musk wrote, suggesting bias in Apple’s curation process.

Neither Apple, OpenAI, nor xAI responded to requests for comment. Musk’s allegations come amid heightened global scrutiny of Big Tech companies over alleged anti-competitive practices, with regulators in the United States and Europe increasingly focused on app store fairness and market dominance.

Apple has faced similar accusations in the past, often defending its editorial choices as part of its quality control and user experience strategy. However, Musk’s remarks add fresh pressure on the company, especially given his claims that the current setup disadvantages competitors in the fast-growing AI app sector.

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If xAI proceeds with legal action, it could become one of the highest-profile antitrust battles in recent years, potentially reshaping the way Apple manages and promotes third-party applications in its ecosystem.