Elon Musk Accuses Apple of Favoring OpenAI in App Store, Threatens Legal Action; Sam Altman Responds to Hypocrisy Claims

Elon Musk has a well-documented history of clashes with notable individuals and corporations, and he has been vocal about his disagreements. Recently, he has set his sights on Apple, accusing the tech giant of unfairly promoting OpenAI’s ChatGPT in its App Store rankings. Musk argues that this preferential treatment constitutes an antitrust violation, subsequently threatening legal action against Apple. This ongoing controversy has drawn a response from OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, who has criticized Musk’s perceived hypocrisy in the matter.

Altman Asserts Musk Attempts to Manipulate Interests for Personal Gain

OpenAI’s ChatGPT has gained significant visibility on the Apple App Store, a situation that has reportedly frustrated Musk. Despite the launch of xAI’s Grok 4, it has struggled to outpace OpenAI’s application in terms of App Store performance. While Musk has not explicitly detailed the legal consequences he intends to pursue against Apple, indications suggest that antitrust issues will form the crux of his complaints, particularly given Apple’s historical scrutiny on this front.

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.xAI will take immediate legal action.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2025

To provide context, Musk was one of the original co-founders of OpenAI but eventually distanced himself from the organization. Following the company’s rise in prominence, Musk initiated legal proceedings to block OpenAI’s transition from a non-profit to a for-profit entity, a case that remains unresolved. After Musk’s allegations against Apple surfaced on X, Sam Altman responded, suggesting that Musk often leverages the platform to gain advantages for himself or to undermine competitors and individuals he dislikes.

This is a remarkable claim given what I have heard alleged that Elon does to manipulate X to benefit himself and his own companies and harm his competitors and people he doesn’t like.https://t.co/HlgzO4c2iC

— Sam Altman (@sama) August 12, 2025

Altman’s reaction underscores his criticism of Musk’s claims against Apple. He further elucidated Musk’s alleged tendency to engineer a “special system”on X that prioritizes his posts in feeds, thus promoting his interests. As the situation evolves, more insights into the motivations behind Musk’s legal threats against Apple are likely to emerge. This saga is far from over, so readers should stay alert for further developments.

For additional details, refer to the original sources: Elon Musk

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