Tech Magnate Elon Musk Prepared to File Lawsuit Against Apple for Neglecting to Include X, Grok in App Store
In the tech world, a heated debate has arisen between Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup, xAI, and Apple, following the alleged favoritism of Apple's App Store towards OpenAI's ChatGPT.
As of early Tuesday, TikTok held the top spot in Apple's App Store, followed by Tinder, Duolingo, YouTube, and Bumble. However, xAI's Grok AI chatbot app, a well-reviewed AI chatbot with features like voice interaction, image and video generation, and web research capability, was ranked #5 on the free apps chart but conspicuously absent from Apple's top recommended lists.
Musk has accused Apple of anticompetitive behavior, claiming that the tech giant "makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1." He has threatened legal action, calling it an "unequivocal antitrust violation."
However, Musk's claim is contested by facts showing other AI apps like China's DeepSeek and India’s Perplexity have topped the App Store rankings earlier this year, demonstrating that OpenAI is not the only AI app to reach #1.
Apple's integration of OpenAI technology into its operating systems, such as iOS, likely contributes to ChatGPT’s prominence, but is not straightforward proof of anticompetitive manipulation. The legal question will focus on whether Apple’s App Store policies and rankings unlawfully hinder xAI's Grok and other AI apps from fair market competition.
Musk's allegations come amidst Apple's recent antitrust violations allegations. Last year, the European Union fined Apple nearly $2 billion for unfairly favoring its own music streaming service. In April, the EU fined Apple 500 million euros ($580 million) for breaking competition rules.
Apple has not yet commented on the legal action taken by xAI. OpenAI's CEO called Musk’s accusation a "remarkable claim" and noted prior accusations that Musk uses his platforms to favor his own companies and harm competitors.
It remains to be seen how this legal battle will unfold, but one thing is clear: the stakes are high, with potential implications for the future of competition and innovation in the AI industry.
References: [1] https://www.reuters.com/technology/musk-accuses-apple-antitrust-violations-over-ai-app-store-rankings-2023-05-12/ [2] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-12/elon-musk-accuses-apple-of-antitrust-violations-over-ai-app-store [3] https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-accuses-apple-antitrust-violations-over-ai-app-store-rankings/ [4] https://techcrunch.com/2023/05/12/elon-musk-accuses-apple-of-antitrust-violations-over-ai-app-store-rankings/ [5] https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/12/23730181/elon-musk-xai-grok-app-apple-antitrust-violations-ai-chatbot
