Tech mogul Elon Musk warns Apple about potential legal action over failure to place X or Grok among their top-ranking apps
Elon Musk, the tech entrepreneur behind SpaceX, Tesla, and X, has announced his intention to sue Apple for alleged antitrust violations. Musk's AI startup, xAI, which owns the AI chatbot app Grok, claims that Apple is blocking AI companies, except for OpenAI, from reaching the top spot in the App Store rankings.
According to reports, Musk criticised Apple for refusing to feature X, the number one news app globally, and Grok, which ranks among the top five apps overall, in the App Store's "Must Have" section. He questioned if Apple was "playing politics" in the rankings and suggested that the company favours OpenAI unfairly to the detriment of competitors like himself.
Musk's comments were posted on X late Monday, and he has stated that xAI will take immediate legal action against Apple. However, as of now, no further details or filings have been disclosed, and Apple has not commented publicly on the matter.
This lawsuit threat comes amid ongoing regulatory and legal challenges Apple faces worldwide over alleged anti-competitive App Store practices. Last year, the EU fined Apple nearly $2 billion for unfairly favouring its own music streaming service by forbidding rivals from telling users how they could pay for cheaper subscriptions outside of iPhone apps.
Spain's watchdog is also deepening its investigation into Apple over concerns that it has unfair requirements for developers seeking to get their apps on the company's App Store.
In April, the European Union fined Apple €500 million for breaking competition rules by preventing app makers from pointing users to cheaper options outside its App Store. A federal judge also found that Apple violated a court injunction in an antitrust case filed by Fortnite maker Epic Games.
Despite these allegations, Apple has faced little backlash in the App Store, with TikTok currently holding the top spot in the US App Store, followed by Tinder, Duolingo, YouTube, Bumble, and Open AI's ChatGPT ranked 7th as of early Tuesday.
OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, responded to Musk's claim by dismissing it, pointing to Musk's own alleged manipulations of the X platform and focusing instead on making "great products."
In summary, Elon Musk’s announced lawsuit centers on Apple’s alleged manipulation of App Store rankings to disadvantage his AI and social apps, framing this as part of broader antitrust concerns about Apple’s dominance and control over app distribution. The outcome of this legal battle could have significant implications for the tech industry.
References:
- Bloomberg
- The Verge
- TechCrunch
Read also:
- Social Security Administration Abandons Plan for Electronic Payments: Important Information for Recipients of Benefits
- AI-Powered Transportation Stock's Possible Challenge to Tesla's Autonomous Dreams?
- Artificial Fuel Explanation: Might Synthetic Fuels Prolong the Lifespan of conventional Internal Combustion Engines?
- Introduced New Scout Models: Traveler and Terra, equipped with front trunks, electric and extended range SUV and truck options in gas
