A computer and a smartphone in Sydney show the home screen of X. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft, File)
Elon Musk, the billionaire behind SpaceX, Tesla, and social media platform X, has announced plans to take legal action against Apple. His complaint? The tech giant has left both X and Grok—an AI chatbot developed by his startup xAI—out of its “Must Have” section on the App Store.
In a late Monday post on X, Musk directly questioned Apple’s decision. “Hey @Apple App Store, why refuse to put X or Grok in your ‘Must Have’ section when X is the #1 news app globally and Grok is ranked #5 among all apps? Are you playing politics?” Musk wrote, implying possible bias.
Grok, designed as a conversational AI, is part of Musk’s push into artificial intelligence through xAI. The omission, he says, is more than just a snub—it’s an antitrust concern. Musk accused Apple of creating conditions that make it “impossible for any AI company other than OpenAI” to claim the top App Store spot, calling it a “clear antitrust violation.”
He declared that xAI would move forward with “immediate legal action,” although he stopped short of detailing the strategy or legal grounds.
Apple has yet to respond to Musk’s allegations. The company, however, has faced mounting scrutiny over its App Store practices. In recent years, it has been accused by regulators and rivals of restricting competition and favouring its own services.
Just last month, a U.S. federal judge found Apple in violation of an earlier court order stemming from a lawsuit by Fortnite creator Epic Games. In Europe, the 27-nation EU fined Apple €500 million in April for preventing app developers from directing customers to cheaper payment options outside the App Store. In another blow last year, the EU issued a nearly $2 billion fine, ruling that Apple gave its own music streaming service an unfair advantage by blocking competitors like Spotify from informing users about lower-priced subscriptions.
The current App Store charts, as of early Tuesday, list TikTok in the top position, followed by Tinder, Duolingo, YouTube, and Bumble. OpenAI’s ChatGPT holds the 7th spot. X, despite its claimed global popularity, does not appear in the top recommendations, nor does Grok.
Musk’s accusations add to the growing debate about how Apple curates its App Store and the influence that ranking visibility has on app success. If the lawsuit proceeds, it could further intensify global antitrust scrutiny on Apple and potentially reshape how the company features apps in its store.
