Elon Musk feud with Apple and OpenAI: Tech world abuzz over war of words, Grok contradicts Musk ;-)

Elon Musk’s latest feud with Apple and OpenAI has set the tech world abuzz, with accusations flying and legal threats looming. 

The spat, which erupted earlier this month, centres on Musk’s claim that Apple is unfairly favouring OpenAI’s ChatGPT in its App Store rankings, stifling competition from other AI apps, including his own xAI’s Grok. 

This conflict is a mix of personal rivalry, business interests, and a broader debate about fairness in tech marketplaces.

The trigger came on August 12, 2025, when Musk posted on X, accusing Apple of rigging its App Store to make it “impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1,” calling it an “unequivocal antitrust violation” and vowing “immediate legal action” from xAI. 

He pointed out that ChatGPT consistently tops the U. App Store’s free apps chart, while Grok, despite climbing to fifth place overall and second in the Productivity category, isn’t featured in Apple’s “Must Have” section. 

Musk also questioned why Apple, which he claims is the “gateway to the Internet for half of America,” relentlessly promotes OpenAI while sidelining xAI’s Grok and X itself, which he claims is the “#1 news app.”

Apple’s role stems from its high-profile partnership with OpenAI, announced in June 2024, which integrates ChatGPT into Apple’s ecosystem, including Siri and generative AI tools across iPhones, iPads, and Macs. 

What's funny is that Grok has contradicted Musk in a "Readers added context" note.

Is the war of word's the tech billionaire's way of hogging headlines?

This Apple-OpenAI deal, part of Apple’s “Apple Intelligence” rollout, has boosted ChatGPT’s visibility, with the app frequently highlighted in App Store editorial content.

Musk argues this gives OpenAI an unfair edge, especially since ChatGPT holds the top spot while other AI apps, like Google’s Gemini (ranked 57th), lag behind. He’s suggested Apple’s ranking algorithms and editorial choices are biased, potentially violating antitrust laws.

Apple hasn’t publicly responded to Musk’s accusations, but the company’s history of App Store controversies—facing fines and lawsuits, like a €500 million EU penalty in April 2025 for anti-competitive practices—lends weight to Musk’s claims of scrutiny. 

OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman fired back on X, accusing Musk of manipulating X’s algorithm to boost his own posts and harm competitors, citing a Platformer report about Musk’s alleged tweaks to X’s visibility. 

Community notes on X, however, pushed back on Musk’s narrative, pointing out that other AI apps like DeepSeek and Perplexity hit #1 in the App Store in 2025, post-OpenAI partnership, suggesting Apple’s rankings aren’t exclusively skewed.

As of August 13, 2025, no lawsuit has been filed, and the outcome remains unclear. 

Musk’s threats could escalate into a legal battle, potentially challenging Apple’s App Store practices and sparking wider scrutiny of tech gatekeepers. 

In Tuesday (August 12), Tech Dev Notes (@techdevnotes) asked: “Why does ChatGPT mark certain Links as “Unsafe” like X.com but not some others?”

Yet, without concrete evidence of bias, and Grok contradicting its own creator, Musk case may falter, especially given counter-examples of other AI apps topping the charts.

This spat, rooted in Musk’s long-standing feud with OpenAI (he co-founded it in 2015 but left in 2018), also reflects his broader agenda to position xAI and Grok as leading AI contenders. 

For now, it’s a war of words on X, with tech fans watching closely for the next move.