There is a lot of commotion in the world of AI! On one side is Elon Musk, who is the boss of xAI and behind Grok AI, and on the other side is Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI and mastermind of ChatGPT. A huge fight has broken out between the two, and this matter can go straight to the court! Come on, let’s understand what is this matter and why both are behind each other.
What is the whole scene?
Elon Musk accused Apple of giving top rank to OpenAI’s ChatGPT in App Store, while not allowing his company xAI’s Grok AI app to come up. According to Musk, this is totally unfair and it is antitrust violation – meaning Apple is using its power in a wrong way. Musk said in a post on X, “Apple is behaving in such a way that no other AI company except OpenAI can become number 1 in App Store. This is wrong, and xAI will soon go to court against it!”
Musk says that his Grok app, which is currently ranked 5th, and X app, which is number 1 in news apps, both are not getting a place in Apple’s “Must Have” section. He says, “Apple, what’s the matter? Why are you ignoring my apps when these are so popular?”
New threat of Grok AI
xAI recently launched a companion chatbot of Grok and Grok Imagine tool, which can create images and videos with AI. Earlier it was paid, but now Musk has made it free for everyone. Due to this, Grok app jumped from 29th rank to 5th rank in the App Store. xAI also made its latest Grok 4 model free, which is their most advanced AI. But Musk is angry that despite such good performance, ChatGPT is placed at number 1, and Grok is not getting that place.
Sam Altman retaliated
Sam Altman answered Musk’s accusation in a very precise manner. Altman wrote on X, “This claim of Musk is very interesting, while I have heard that Elon himself manipulates X’s algorithm for his own benefit, pushes his own companies, and puts down those he does not like or are his competitors!”
Altman also shared an article, in which it was written that Musk tweaked X’s algorithm so that his posts would be seen first. Basically, Altman is saying, “You are blaming me, but you yourself do the same!”
What is the Apple–OpenAI connection?
There is a partnership between Apple and OpenAI, in which ChatGPT has been integrated into iPhone, iPad, and Mac for Apple Intelligence. Musk suspects that due to this partnership Apple is promoting ChatGPT more. But till now there is no solid proof that this partnership is having an impact on App Store rankings.
Will this matter go to court?
This battle has become so heated that it seems the decision will be taken in court. Musk has already filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Altman, in which he said that OpenAI abandoned its original mission (AI for humanity). Now this new Apple case can further increase that conflict. Altman also hinted that if the case goes to court, he is ready for counter-discovery, meaning he can also expose the operations of Musk’s X.
What else is interesting?
App Store Rankings:
| App Name | Rank in App Store | Rank in Play Store |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | 1 | 1 |
| Grok | 5 | — |
| Gemini | 57 | — |
Antitrust History of Apple: Apple has been accused of antitrust in the past. Epic Games (Fortnite) won the case against Apple, and EU has also fined Apple due to App Store rules.
Musk vs Altman’s old fight: Musk was the co-founder of OpenAI, but he left in 2018. Since then he keeps criticizing OpenAI and Altman.
Conclusion
This fight between Musk and Altman is intense. Musk is saying that Apple is unfair, and Altman is saying that Musk himself does not play fair. Whether this case will go to court or not, only time will tell.