Elon Musk Says Apple Is Blocking X And Grok From Top App Store Lists: Is It Favouring OpenAI?
Elon Musk says he’ll sue Apple, accusing it of rigging App Store rankings against X and Grok. Here is what he said.
Published By: Divya | Published: Aug 13, 2025, 04:47 PM (IST)
Elon Musk, the owner of X, SpaceX, and Tesla, says he's preparing to sue Apple. The reason? He claims the tech giant is deliberately keeping X and his AI chatbot Grok out of the App Store's "Must Have" section.
In a series of posts on X, Musk questioned why X, which he says is the world's number one news app, and Grok, ranked fifth among all apps, are missing from Apple's top recommendations. He hinted at "political bias" and accused Apple of favouring OpenAI, calling it an "unequivocal antitrust violation."
Apple Responds
Apple denies the claims. In a statement to Bloomberg, the tech giant said the App Store is designed to be "fair and free of bias." It explained that app visibility is determined through charts, algorithmic suggestions, and curated expert lists based on objective criteria. Apple added that it works with developers to improve visibility in fast-changing categories.
At the time of Musk's comments, TikTok, Tinder, Duolingo, YouTube, and Bumble were topping Apple's free app charts. ChatGPT, from OpenAI, was ranked seventh.
Elon Musk Vs OpenAI
This isn't Musk's first clash with Apple or OpenAI. He was an early founder at OpenAI but later became one of its fiercest critics, even attempting a buyout. Musk has also threatened to ban Apple devices from his companies if OpenAI's tech were deeply integrated into iOS and macOS.
His latest claim comes shortly after Apple announced partnerships with OpenAI. Musk suggests this relationship gives OpenAI an unfair advantage in the App Store rankings, something Apple's recent track record with EU antitrust fines may add weight to, though Apple disputes wrongdoing.
However, some industry analysts suggest that other AI apps, like China's DeepSeek AI, have topped the App Store charts before, which clearly contradicts his claim that only OpenAI can reach the top. Critics also note that Musk himself has faced allegations of manipulating X's algorithm to boost his own posts.
However, we will have to see whether Elon Musk will actually file the lawsuit against Apple or not.
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