Elon Musk accuses Apple of alleged antitrust behavior, OpenAI's Sam Altman refutes
On August 12, Elon Musk posted on social media platform X, accusing Apple of violating antitrust regulations in its App Store ranking management, and claimed that his artificial intelligence startup xAI would take legal action against Apple.
Musk stated that Apple's actions have made it impossible for any AI company other than OpenAI to rank first in the App Store, which is a clear violation of antitrust laws. His comments seem to question why Apple does not include X or Grok in its 'must-have' app list and suggest that Apple may be manipulating its App Store rankings.
It is reported that Apple and OpenAI established a deep partnership starting in June 2024, integrating ChatGPT into the iOS system, and OpenAI's ChatGPT has long held the top spot and received official recommendations from Apple.
However, despite xAI's Grok application also climbing to the top five of the App Store's free app rankings, Apple has consistently refused to include it in the 'must-have apps' recommendation section.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman quickly countered Musk's accusations. Altman reposted Musk's message on platform X, expressing his 'surprise' at Musk's comments and implying that Musk is using the X platform to manipulate public opinion for his own benefit and that of his company, while suppressing competitors and individuals.
This controversy arises at a critical moment when OpenAI is releasing GPT-5 and Musk is announcing the integration plan for xAI's Grok model. Industry analysts believe that this clash over antitrust allegations not only reflects the intensifying competitive landscape in the AI field but may also have profound implications for future industry rules and regulatory environments.
Currently, Apple has not publicly responded to the matter, but previously, Apple submitted documents to the U.S. Department of Justice refuting the relevant antitrust allegations, emphasizing that its actions are in line with market competition principles.
In summary, this incident highlights the intensifying competition among tech giants in the AI sector and reflects the potential controversies surrounding app rankings and promotions in application markets like the App Store.
With the rapid development of AI technology, finding a way to ensure fair market competition while protecting consumer rights and innovation incentives will become an important issue that regulators and industry participants need to face together.