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Elon Musk wants to sue Apple

Samuel Buchmann
13.8.2025
Translation: machine translated

The richest man in the world claims that Apple is manipulating the rankings of its App Store. So far, he has provided no proof of this.

X CEO Elon Musk accuses Apple of systematically favouring ChatGPT in the App Store and thus distorting competition. In several articles on X, Musk announced legal action against Apple for alleged violations of antitrust law. Specifically, the richest man in the world criticises the fact that it is impossible for other AI companies to reach the top positions in the App Store charts.

Musk claims that Apple manipulates the app store rankings in favour of OpenAI and does not include X and the xAI chatbot Grok in the list of recommended iOS apps. ChatGPT currently holds the top position among the free iPhone apps in the USA. Grok ranks sixth. Musk has not yet provided any evidence and it is unclear whether he has actually filed the announced lawsuit.

Musk fires back at Apple on X, but is immediately corrected by Community notes.
Musk fires back at Apple on X, but is immediately corrected by Community notes.
Source: Screenshot X / Elon Musk

Apple rejects the allegations. In a statement to «Bloomberg», the company emphasised that the App Store «is fair and free from bias». Thousands of apps are highlighted by algorithmic recommendations and curated lists based on objective criteria. Other AI apps such as DeepSeek or Perplexity have also occupied the top positions at times in recent months.

Does Musk manipulate algorithms himself?

The controversy is part of a long-simmering conflict between Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The two founded OpenAI together in 2015, but Musk left the company in 2018 following internal differences. Since then, he has accused OpenAI of moving away from its original non-profit mission and focussing too much on commercial interests.

Altman, on the other hand, counters that Musk himself is a manipulator of algorithms. Since his takeover of Twitter (today X), Musk is said to have deliberately increased the visibility of his own articles. This is also the conclusion of a study by Queensland University of Technology. In June it also became known that the «maximum truth-seeker» Grok systematically consults Musk's opinion on controversial issues

The current dispute is taking place against the backdrop of increased regulatory control over Apple's App Store. Antitrust proceedings are underway against Apple in both the USA and the EU, accusing the company of holding a dominant position in app distribution.

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Samuel Buchmann
Senior Editor
Samuel.Buchmann@digitecgalaxus.ch

My fingerprint often changes so drastically that my MacBook doesn't recognise it anymore. The reason? If I'm not clinging to a monitor or camera, I'm probably clinging to a rockface by the tips of my fingers.

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