X Corp. and xAI, two companies of billionaire Elon Musk, have filed a lawsuit in the Texas federal court that accuses Apple Inc. and OpenAI of engaging in anticompetitive practices that allegedly violate U.S. antitrust laws and stifle innovation in the artificial intelligence and mobile app markets.
The complaint asserts that Apple has entered into a de facto partnership with OpenAI to unfairly exclude competing AI applications—particularly xAI’s chatbot Grok—from prominent placement and visibility on the App Store. The lawsuit also alleges that the conduct constitutes an “anticompetitive scheme” aimed at preserving Apple’s dominance in mobile ecosystems and reinforcing OpenAI’s market power in generative AI.
“In a desperate bid to protect its smartphone monopoly,” the complaint alleges, “Apple has joined forces with the company that most benefits from suppressing competition in AI: OpenAI.”
Musk had previously warned of legal action, citing Grok’s exclusion from Apple’s curated “Must-Have” apps despite high user engagement. He contends that such editorial decisions are not neutral and may constitute market manipulation.
Apple has yet to issue a public statement on the lawsuit but an OpenAI spokesperson called it as just “part of Mr. Musk’s ongoing pattern of harassment.”
If successful, the case could reshape the boundaries of platform control, app marketplace practices, and competition in the AI sector.
