Apple Favouring ChatGPT In App Store Rankings – Elon Musk
Elon Musk has escalated his feud with OpenAI, accusing Apple of giving preferential treatment to ChatGPT in the App Store and pledging to take legal action.
“Apple is behaving in a manner that makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store, which is an unequivocal antitrust violation,” Musk wrote on his social media platform, X, on Monday, without presenting evidence to support his claim.
“xAI will take immediate legal action,” he added, referring to his artificial intelligence company.
His claim drew responses from X users, who pointed out that Chinese AI developer DeepSeek reached the top spot in the App Store earlier this year, while Perplexity AI recently ranked number one in India. Both companies, along with Musk’s xAI, compete with OpenAI.
The comments come just days after both OpenAI and xAI launched updated versions of their AI chatbots, ChatGPT and Grok.
As of Tuesday, App Store rankings listed ChatGPT as the top free iPhone app, with Grok in fifth place.
Apple has not responded to requests for comment. Factors determining App Store rankings include user engagement, reviews, and download numbers.
Apple and OpenAI announced a partnership in June last year to integrate ChatGPT features into iPhones and other devices.
OpenAI said last week that ChatGPT-5, rolled out free of charge, is now used weekly by nearly 700 million people.
The dispute is the latest development in a long-running rift between Musk and OpenAI.
The billionaire co-founded the company but left before its breakthrough with ChatGPT, later accusing it of betraying its founding mission.
He sued OpenAI last year, while the company responded in April with counterclaims, alleging Musk had launched a “relentless campaign” to damage it and build a competing platform “not for humanity but for Elon Musk.”
Musk launched xAI in 2023 to rival OpenAI and other major tech players, joining a global AI race that has also drawn in Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
