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Elon Musk\u2019s long-standing battle with OpenAI has a new participant: Apple<\/a>.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, Apple found itself the latest target of Elon Musk\u2019s legal threats when the xAI CEO accused the tech giant of using unfair means to promote OpenAI\u2019s ChatGPT over his company\u2019s rival Grok chatbot in the App Store. Musk called it an<\/a> \u201cunequivocal antitrust violation\u201d and threatened to take legal action. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who is part of an ongoing feud with the billionaire, quickly weighed in on the dispute, calling Musk\u2019s accusation a \u201cremarkable claim.\u201d He, in turn, accused Musk of manipulating his own platform, X<\/a>, \u201cto benefit himself and his own companies and harm his competitors and people he doesn\u2019t like.\u201d<\/p>\n Apple has denied Musk\u2019s claims, saying in a statement that the App Store \u201cis designed to be fair and free of bias.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe feature thousands of apps through charts, algorithmic recommendations, and curated lists selected by experts using objective criteria,\u201d a spokesperson said in a statement shared with news outlets. <\/a>\u201cOur goal is to offer safe discovery for users and valuable opportunities for developers, collaborating with many to increase app visibility in rapidly evolving categories.\u201d<\/p>\n X users, and Musk\u2019s own Grok chatbot,<\/a> were quick to point out that Musk\u2019s claim was undermined by apps like DeepSeek and Perplexity having previously taken the top slot on Apple\u2019s App Store. <\/p>\n The issue may have more to do with Apple\u2019s standing deal with OpenAI\u2019s ChatGPT. Under a mid-2024 deal, ChatGPT is built into Siri and system-wide writing tools on an opt-in basis. Siri asks for permission before sending queries; no OpenAI account is required; and Apple has said it plans to support additional AI providers over time.<\/p>\n Even so, the integration gives ChatGPT a prominent, first-party placement on hundreds of millions of Apple devices, potentially making it harder for rivals like Musk\u2019s xAI to win users\u2019 attention. With Google<\/a> weaving its Gemini AI<\/a> into Android, the mobile AI market could increasingly be shaped by default integrations, which could make it much harder for rivals like xAI to compete.<\/p>\n The OpenAI and Apple deal appeared to get under the billionaire\u2019s skin when it was announced, with Musk taking to X to complain: \u201cIt\u2019s patently absurd that Apple isn\u2019t smart enough to make their own AI, yet is somehow capable of ensuring that OpenAI will protect your security & privacy!\u201d<\/p>\n Musk went on to threaten to bar all Apple devices from his companies if OpenAI technology was integrated into iOS operating systems.<\/p>\n Apple is currently at the center of several other antitrust battles.<\/p>\n Apple\u2019s App Store is one of the few key platforms for app distribution. Whoever gets visibility there is effectively handed a huge share of new users, which has been a point of contention for some of its competitors.<\/p>\n In the U.S., Apple\u2019s App Store practices have been under scrutiny since 2020 when the company was sued by Epic Games over the removal of Fortnite from the App Store for bypassing its payment system to avoid the 30% commission. A federal appeals court recently refused to pause an order from its long-running battle with Epic Games that forces Apple to allow developers to direct users to outside payment options.<\/p>\n Last year, the Justice Department filed a landmark antitrust lawsuit accusing Apple of monopolizing the smartphone market, alleging that its App Store policies block new developers and stifle innovation. Apple has denied the allegations, saying that its practices foster innovation and consumer choice. In June, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey denied Apple\u2019s motion<\/a> to dismiss the lawsuit.<\/p>\n In a separate case bought against Google by the Justice Department, Apple\u2019s $15\u201320 billion-a-year deal with the search giant could also be at stake after federal judge declared in August last year that Google unlawfully maintained a monopoly in internet search, partly through exclusive agreements with companies like Apple. The deal, which made Google the default search engine on its devices, could be disrupted by the remedies currently being weighed by a judge, with JPMorgan analysts warnings<\/a> that a worst-case ruling could cost Apple about $12.5 billion annually.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nApple\u2019s antitrust issues<\/h2>\n
Introducing the 2025 Fortune Global 500<\/strong>, the definitive ranking of the biggest companies in the world. Explore this year’s list.<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n