Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, has initiated legal action against both Apple and OpenAI, alleging monopolistic practices that favor ChatGPT over its own product, Grok. The lawsuit, filed on a recent Monday, claims that Apple has intentionally deprioritized Grok’s visibility and ranking in the App Store to protect its competitive partners, particularly OpenAI.
The lawsuit describes the situation as a collaboration between two monopolistic entities striving to sustain their dominance in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence. It also highlights that Grok, despite being the third-most popular free productivity app in the App Store, is overshadowed by ChatGPT and Gmail. Grok is embedded within Musk’s social media platform, X, which holds the top position among free news apps on the App Store.
Specifically, the lawsuit criticizes Apple’s integration of ChatGPT into the iOS ecosystem, arguing that it compels iPhone users to utilize ChatGPT for generative AI tasks rather than choosing alternatives like Grok, which they may find more innovative. It asserts that Apple has not labeled its collaboration with OpenAI as exclusive, while clearly the integration limits user choice.
OpenAI’s spokesperson dismissed the lawsuit, suggesting it aligns with Musk’s history of "harassment." While Apple has yet to provide a comment on the matter, the implications of this alleged collusion, xAI argues, are detrimental to consumers, resulting in diminished competition, less investment, and ultimately poorer options.
Musk, who was among the founding members of OpenAI but departed in 2018 to establish xAI, has previously taken legal action against the company. In 2024, he claimed that OpenAI had strayed from its original mission to develop beneficial AI for humanity by moving towards a profit-driven model. The current lawsuit is another chapter in an ongoing tussle between Musk and the AI entities he once partnered with.
