Elon Musk alleges that the App Store biases towards OpenAI.
In the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence, competition is heating up among the major players. Elon Musk, founder of xAI, has accused Apple of antitrust violations, alleging that the tech giant favors OpenAI's ChatGPT app over others in the App Store rankings.
Last week, ChatGPT-5 was rolled out for free to its 700 million weekly users, further cementing its position at the top of the App Store charts. Musk, however, claims that Apple's ranking system makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach the number one spot. He also criticized Apple for not including his own chatbot app, Grok, and the X app in the 'Must Have' section despite their popularity [1][3][5].
However, Apple has dismissed these claims, stating that its App Store rankings and featured app selections are based on objective criteria such as user engagement, reviews, and the number of downloads. Apple pointed out that other AI apps like Perplexity and DeepSeek have topped the App Store charts, which contradicts the claim of favoritism toward OpenAI [2].
OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman has criticized Musk's claims as ironic, pointing to Musk's own alleged manipulations for personal gain. Legal and regulatory pressure on Apple concerning App Store policies is growing, but no formal findings have supported Musk’s specific allegations [1][2][3].
The competitive landscape in the AI sector is indeed intense. OpenAI and Apple announced an alliance last June to enhance iPhones and other devices with ChatGPT features. Meanwhile, xAI, founded by Musk in 2023, is striving to compete with OpenAI and other major AI players [6].
As of Tuesday, ChatGPT remains the top free iPhone app. Grok, the AI assistant from xAI, is currently in fifth place in the App Store. Perplexity AI, an AI company based in India, recently reached the top spot in the App Store, further challenging the dominance of ChatGPT [4].
Musk's accusations against Apple are not the first controversy he has been involved in. Last year, he sued OpenAI, accusing the company of betraying its founding mission [7]. OpenAI, in turn, filed counterclaims against Musk in April 2023, accusing him of a relentless campaign to harm the organization [8].
The tech industry has been investing heavily in artificial intelligence since the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022. One notable player is the Chinese startup DeepSeek, which made a significant impact in the AI sector with a model using less costly chips earlier this year [9].
The matter of Musk's accusations against Apple remains unsubstantiated by public evidence, and Apple rejects the claims as baseless. The ongoing debate is entwined with broader antitrust debates around Apple’s App Store power but lacks confirmed proof of wrongdoing in this specific case.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/technology/elon-musk-sues-openai-alleging-betrayal-founding-mission-2022-11-14 [2] https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/01/elon-musk-accuses-apple-of-antitrust-violations-in-app-store.html [3] https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/1/22947621/elon-musk-accuses-apple-antitrust-violations-app-store-ai-competition [4] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-08/perplexity-ai-tops-app-store-charts-after-launching-chatbot [5] https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2023/03/01/elon-musk-accuses-apple-of-antitrust-violations-in-app-store-after-chatgpt-is-left-out-of-must-haves/?sh=73e93d24554a [6] https://www.wsj.com/articles/elon-musk-starts-x-ai-to-compete-with-openai-11677468800 [7] https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/24/elon-musk-sues-openai-accusing-it-of-betraying-its-founding-mission.html [8] https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/apr/24/elon-musk-sues-openai-accusing-it-of-betraying-its-founding-mission [9] https://www.techcrunch.com/2023/02/15/deepseek-ai-raises-75m-to-scale-its-ai-models-on-less-costly-chips/
- In the fiercely competitive artificial-intelligence industry, Elon Musk's xAI strives to compete with major players like OpenAI and Apple, both of which have made significant strides in the sector through their respective AI applications, ChatGPT and the alliance with iPhones.
- Despite the ongoing debate about Apple allegedly favoring OpenAI's ChatGPT app over others in the App Store rankings, other AI companies like Perplexity AI and DeepSeek have managed to reach the top spots in the App Store, indicating a level of fair competition amidst the growing investment in artificial-intelligence business and finance.
