The AI rivalry between Musk and Altman takes a new turn with App Store allegations
The ongoing feud between tech titans has reached new heights as Elon Musk accuses Apple of unfairly favoring ChatGPT on its App Store and threatens legal action. This latest escalation in the Musk-Altman rivalry brings Apple directly into their AI battleground, creating a three-way tech showdown.
Musk is unhappy with how Apple is promoting ChatGPT, a rival to his own Grok, claiming the tech giant makes it impossible for competing AI apps to reach the top rankings. The accusation strikes at the heart of app store competition and platform neutrality.
Legal Threats and Platform Manipulation Claims
On Monday, the billionaire threatened legal action against the tech giant, accusing it of favoring OpenAI's ChatGPT and sidelining his own Grok chatbot in the App Store rankings. Musk called this an "unequivocal antitrust violation" designed to favor his AI rival.
Apple is behaving in a manner that makes it impossible for any competitor to ChatGPT to succeed on the App Store. This is an unequivocal antitrust violation. Unless this is immediately corrected, xAI will file suit.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2025
But Sam Altman wasn't about to stay silent. OpenAI's CEO fired back with his own pointed response, questioning Musk's platform practices and suggesting hypocrisy in the accusations.
This is a remarkable claim given what I have heard alleged that Elon does to manipulate X to benefit himself and his own companies and harm his competitors and people he doesn't like.
— Sam Altman (@sama) August 12, 2025
Apple's Response to Bias Allegations
Apple quickly moved to defend its App Store practices. Apple today responded to Elon Musk's claims that the App Store favors OpenAI's ChatGPT app, telling Bloomberg's Mark Gurman that the App Store has no bias. The company maintains that its ranking system operates fairly across all applications.
This controversy highlights broader questions about platform control and fair competition in the AI space. With billions at stake in the AI race, every advantage matters - whether real or perceived.
The Deeper AI War Between Former Allies
Elon Musk and Sam Altman, who were longtime friends and helped start OpenAI, are in an extended legal battle that now involves Apple. What started as a partnership has evolved into one of tech's most public rivalries.
Tech billionaires Elon Musk and Sam Altman are fighting over unfair advantages on the App Store and platform manipulation. This latest exchange shows how personal their professional competition has become, with each questioning the other's business ethics and platform practices.
The outcome of this three-way dispute could reshape how app stores handle AI applications and whether platform owners face increased scrutiny over their promotion algorithms. As AI becomes central to tech's future, these battles over fair access and promotion are likely just beginning.