Tech Magnate Elon Musk threatens legal action against Apple, alleging that they have refused to make his mobile applications, Grok, available on their app store.
In a recent turn of events, tech mogul Elon Musk has threatened to sue Apple over claims of unfair treatment and political bias in the App Store. The controversy stems from Apple's decision not to feature Musk's apps, X (formerly Twitter) and Grok (an AI chatbot by Musk's company xAI), in the "Must-Have Apps" section.
As of early Tuesday, TikTok held the top spot in Apple's "Must-Have Apps," followed by Tinder, Duolingo, and YouTube. Neither Grok nor X were listed on the "Must-Have" page. However, X is the #1 news app globally, and Grok ranks #5 among all apps.
Musk took to Twitter to express his dissatisfaction, questioning Apple's actions and asking why X and Grok were not included in the "Must-Have" section. He further alleged that Apple is playing politics and showing bias, particularly favouring OpenAI's ChatGPT, with which Apple has a partnership.
Musk argues that this favouritism creates an uneven playing field that blocks competition and stifles innovation. He believes that this alleged antitrust violation could harm market competition and is a key reason for his legal threat.
The dispute occurs amidst broader regulatory scrutiny of Apple’s App Store practices. In April, the European Union's antitrust enforcer fined Apple $587 million for allegedly preventing developers from directing users to alternative purchase options beyond the App Store.
No immediate official response from Apple has been reported. Musk's history with OpenAI adds context, as he co-founded but later left the organization and now competes directly through xAI and Grok.
This is not the first time Apple has faced allegations of antitrust violations. In June, Apple lost its attempt to pause a court-ordered app store reform that a judge mandated during a long-running antitrust lawsuit brought by "Fortnite" maker Epic Games.
In summary, Musk’s threat hinges on perceived unfair exclusion and favouritism by Apple in its App Store rankings, which he contends is an antitrust issue affecting his apps X and Grok. The case is set to add another layer to the ongoing debate about competition and fairness in the tech industry.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/technology/apple-faces-growing-allegations-violating-antitrust-laws-2023-03-01 [2] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-01/elon-musk-says-apple-is-playing-politics-over-app-store-rankings [3] https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/01/tech/elon-musk-apple-app-store/index.html [4] https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/1/22940188/elon-musk-twitter-app-store-apple-antitrust-openai [5] https://www.wsj.com/articles/elon-musk-threatens-to-sue-apple-over-app-store-bias-against-x-and-grok-11677764616
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