Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Conspiracy Against X and Grok

[MacRumors]

Elon Musk's xAI startup today filed a Texas lawsuit against Apple and OpenAI, accusing the two companies of conspiring to "ensure their continued dominance" in the AI market.

Earlier this month, Musk threatened to sue Apple and OpenAI because his apps X and Grok have not been featured in the App Store's "Must Have" apps section, and he has now followed through with that threat.

The lawsuit suggests that Apple was "blindsided by major innovations in AI," leading it to team up with OpenAI "in a desperate bid to protect its smartphone monopoly." xAI points to the integrated ChatGPT feature for Siri, because Siri's ability to reference a chatbot is exclusive to OpenAI as of now.

xAI claims that if iPhone users want to access a generative AI chatbot, "they have no choice but to use ChatGPT, even if they would prefer to use more innovative and imaginative products like xAI's Grok." xAI says that while iPhone users can download any chatbot app on their devices, it would not have the same level of "functionality, usability, and integration" as ChatGPT does with Siri. There is also clear evidence that Apple is working to integrate other chatbots like Gemini into Siri, including a statement from Google CEO Sundar Pichai about talks on that very subject.

The lawsuit states that Apple has been "deprioritizing" the apps of competing generative AI chatbots and apps like X in the App Store and delaying App Store updates, plus it complains that xAI has not been able to get data from billions of iPhone users for training Grok because it is not integrated with Siri like ChatGPT. xAI blames Apple and OpenAI for its failure to "attain more than a few percent of the generative AI chatbot market."

Despite their high rankings in the subject-matter-based "Top Apps" lists, neither the X app nor the Grok app appeared in the "Must-Have Apps" section of the App Store on August 24, 2025. Instead, as reflected in Figure 5 below, the first 11 listed apps in the "Must-Have Apps" section on August 24, 2025 do not include the X app or the Grok app. Neither the X app nor the Grok app appears further down on the list, either. This is also true of other generative AI chatbot and super app competitors.

xAI asks that the court put a stop to Apple and OpenAI's "anticompetitive scheme" and that the two companies be forced to pay damages.

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Article Link: Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Conspiracy Against X and Grok

 

[germanbeer007]

Can't wait to see all the EU DMA defenders back Elon, right?? Or is suddenly Elon is in the wrong here because you don't like him? 😂

 

[Crzyrio]

Can't wait to see all the EU DMA defenders back Elon, right?? Or is suddenly Elon is in the wrong here because you don't like him? 😂

Don't see how anything you said has to do with anything happening here?

Elon is just sad hes app sucks lol.

 

[canadianreader]

Every corporation wants a privileged access to your phone’s data to further train their AI models

 

[nortonandreev]

I mean, I’m kinda willing to slide with him on this one. It’s obvious that Apple can partner with whoever they want for Siri. But if competitors’ chatbot apps don’t appear in the App Store, that’s anti-competitive and obviously wrong of Apple to be doing.

 

[applicious84]

I think I saw them in the must delete section though. That counts for something

 

[WarmWinterHat]

I mean, I’m kinda willing to slide with him on this one. It’s obvious that Apple can partner with whoever they want for Siri. But if competitors’ chatbot apps don’t appear in the App Store, that’s anti-competitive and obviously wrong of Apple to be doing.

You can get Grok's chatbot on the iPhone, Gemini and a ton of others, and he isn't disputing that. He is mad because it's not #1 on the list in the App Store, and isn't a "must have" app. That what is suing Apple about.

Can't wait to see all the EU DMA defenders back Elon, right?? Or is suddenly Elon is in the wrong here because you don't like him? 😂

It's not Apple's fault that Elon sucks, and his products by extension.

 

[Viridian5]

Deliberately blocking updates would be one thing, but it seems like the real complaint here is that Apple didn’t pick Elon

 

[contacos]

Delulu, but Texas so he may actually win

 

[munpip214]

Wait, what’s Grok? 🤣 I asked my parents if they’ve ever heard of Grok and they said no. I asked them if they’ve heard of ChatGPT and they said yes. Based on my very scientific study, Grok should not be number one on the App Store.

 

[johnsc3]

Deliberately blocking updates would be one thing, but it seems like the real complaint here is that Apple didn’t pick Elon

That's exactly with it is.. I'm sure Tim is giving him the "car-play" stare..

 

[attila]

What a pathetic little man.

 

[attohs]

Same energy as this… nobody wants to be your friend anymore Elon. Nobody.

 

[spartan1967]

Sounds about right.

 

[dragoon2745]

Curious to know what evidence, if any, he has to support the claim of, "delaying ‌App Store‌ updates"

 

[jz0309]

first trying to get the mindshare and advantages of POTUS, then involving himself in the internal affairs of foreign countries and now involving courts to get his mindset enforced onto phone users - where/when does this stop?

 

[PJWilkin]

What he’s suing Apple because they did not feature Mechahitler in the AppStore?

 

[Capeto]

I wonder why Apple won't feature the AI chatbot that spouts white supremacist garbage and makes deepfakes of celebs.

 

[StuBeck]

First time I've heard Apple and AI Dominance in the same sentence.

 

[EBone12355]

Maybe people just aren't interested in chatbot that self identifies as MechaHitler.

 

[hieranonymous]

Elon’s a crybaby who thinks any system that doesn’t artificially boost him is inherently “unfair.”

Moreover, this is probably a fishing expedition. He’s hoping to gain access to privileged OpenAI and Apple info via the discovery process. He’s already plundered the federal government’s data. Now he’s targeting other private corpos.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Wait, what’s Grok? 🤣 I asked my parents if they’ve ever heard of Grok and they said no. I asked them if they’ve heard of ChatGPT and they said yes. Based on my very scientific study, Grok should not be number one on the App Store.

I asked a couple people here at work (who I know use ChatGPT because they occasionally talk about it), and neither have ever heard of Grok.

No one gives a crap about it except creepy people who want to generate celebrity nudes and have an make-believe anime "girlfriend".

 

[MrRom92]

Waaaaaah my iPhone can’t do Nazi salutes waaaaaaah

 

[Wando64]

Can't wait to see all the EU DMA defenders back Elon, right?? Or is suddenly Elon is in the wrong here because you don't like him? 😂

Elon and the EU can do what the hell they want, but you are not going to see me ever (again) using any product or services associated in any way with Musk. Everything else is bla, bla, bla.

 

[germanbeer007]

Don't see how anything you said has to do with anything happening here?

EU DMA has no parallels with this? lol.

Have a good one.