Elon Musk targets Apple-OpenAI partnership in antitrust complaint
The complaint alleges that Apple unfairly favours OpenAI’s ChatGPT in its App Store, undermining rival chatbots such as Elon Musk’s own Grok.
Elon Musk has launched a fresh legal offensive against Apple and OpenAI, accusing them of colluding to suppress competition in artificial intelligence.
On Monday, Musk’s firms xAI and X Corp filed a 61-page complaint in a US federal court in Texas, alleging that Apple unfairly favours OpenAI’s ChatGPT in its App Store, undermining rival chatbots, such as Musk’s own Grok, according to media reports.
The lawsuit stems from Musk’s earlier claims that Apple had “rigged” app rankings to boost ChatGPT’s visibility.
“This is a tale of two monopolists joining forces to ensure their continued dominance in a world rapidly driven by the most powerful technology humanity has ever created: artificial intelligence,” the lawsuit asserts.
The case argues that Apple views AI as a potential threat to its iPhone business, and therefore, struck an exclusive partnership with OpenAI to protect its market position.
That deal, announced last year, made ChatGPT the fallback “answer engine” on iPhones when Apple’s own AI tools fell short. According to Musk, this arrangement gives OpenAI privileged access to valuable user data, while competitors remain locked out.
The complaint further accuses Apple of inflating ChatGPT’s ranking on its App Store, even as other AI apps, like DeekSeek and Perplexity, have occasionally surged to the top spot in some regions.
It also mirrors parts of an ongoing US Department of Justice antitrust case against Apple, which targets its efforts to block so-called “super apps” like the one Musk envisions for X.
The lawsuit depicts OpenAI as a profit-driven company ignoring public safety, echoing a separate case Musk filed last year, claiming the firm abandoned its non-profit mission.
(With additional inputs from PTI)
Edited by Suman Singh