Elon Musk sues Apple and OpenAI for stifling AI competition
The lawsuit claims the Cupertino-based firm is making it impossible for other AI companies to rank first on the App Store.
BarcelonaMusk is once again embroiled in a court battle. Now, through his companies X (formerly Twitter) and xAI (its artificial intelligence branch), he's suing Apple and OpenAI, alleging that they "inhibit competition in AI." The complaint, filed in a court in the Northern District of Texas, argues that the two companies "have colluded" to maintain a virtual monopoly on artificial intelligence in smartphones.
Apple's partnership with OpenAI—owned by Sam Altman, although Musk was also one of its founders—has integrated its AI platform ChatGPT into iPhones, iPads, and Macs. "If not for its exclusive agreement with OpenAI, Apple would have no reason to refrain from more prominently featuring the X app and the Grok app in its App Store," the lawsuit states. In the text, chAI says it is seeking billions of dollars in alleged damages.
"This latest filing is consistent with Mr. Musk's ongoing pattern of harassment," an OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement.
Musk had already threatened to sue Apple earlier this month, when he claimed in a post on his X platform that Apple's behavior "makes it impossible for any AI company other than OpenAI to reach the number 1 position within the App Store."
War of the Titans
OpenAI’s ChatGPT bot became the fastest-growing consumer app in history in the months following its launch in late 2022. Musk’s company xAI acquired x in March for $33 billion – which Musk had previously bought for $44 billion – to improve its x capabilities. Musk has also integrated the Grok bot into vehicles made by his electric car company Tesla.
xAI was launched less than two years ago and competes with Microsoft-backed OpenAI as well as Chinese startup DeepSeek. Musk is separately suing OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman in California federal court to stop the company from converting from a nonprofit to a for-profit. Musk co-founded OpenAI with Altman in 2015 as a nonprofit.
In fact, Apple's App Store practices have been the focus of multiple lawsuits. One example is also a still-open lawsuit by the video game manufacturer. Fortnite Epic Games, in which a judge ordered Apple to allow greater competition for app payment options.
