Apple’s App Store Favoritism Is Deadly, and Elon Musk Will Take You to Court Over It
Hello everyone. Gather round, because today’s tech drama is less of a boardroom meeting and more of a Twitch livestream where two egos duel with flamethrowers made of dollar bills. On one side, we have Elon Musk, professional disruptor and serial lawsuit enthusiast. On the other, Apple, the digital equivalent of a velvet-gloved Mob boss. The accusation? That Apple is playing favorites with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, keeping it firmly wedged at the top of the App Store, while Musk’s precious Grok is relegated to “Well That’s Nice, Dear” territory.
The Setup: Grok vs. The Fruit-Stamped Wall
Musk’s tech spawn, xAI, rolled out with promises of “major performance gains” over competitors, along with an image and video generator and enough customization to make a Skyrim modder weep with joy. In App Store land, Grok’s rank improved from roughly #60 to #5 overall, second place in Productivity. Impressive, except Apple’s golden child, ChatGPT, remains perched comfortably at the top like a smug raid boss that refuses to die, benefiting from editorial features, Apple’s “Must Have” lists, and-oh yes-a cozy partnership inside the company’s much-hyped Apple Intelligence features. Siri now channels ChatGPT like it’s been hanging out in an AI tavern all year.
Translation? Apple is essentially quest-giving all the good loot to one guild while telling everyone else they’re welcome to hunt rabbits outside of town. Musk isn’t exactly known for taking “no” in stride, so predictably, he’s pulled out the Legal Threatening Stick.
The Lawsuit Threat: Classic Musk Playbook
“Apple is behaving in a manner that makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store, which is an unequivocal antitrust violation. xAI will take immediate legal action.” – Elon Musk
Immediate legal action, you say? Well, if we had a nickel for every time Musk said he was going to sue someone, we’d have enough to buy Twitter-sorry, “𝕏”-twice over. This is the man who treats lawsuits like speedrunners treat “New Game+” – jump in, blast through the intro, and hope the final boss somehow evaporates before you actually have to grind the hard levels.
Historically, Musk’s courtroom threats range from meaningful to pure vaporware. He’s sued OpenAI before for going for-profit (still ongoing), and now here he is swinging at Apple. It’s not exactly a shocker: OpenAI is both his former company and his current rival. Apple siding with them for deep Siri integration is like his ex dating his most successful professional frenemy. No wonder Tesla’s Chief Snark himself is fuming.
The Subtext: Ego PvP Mode
If you look beyond the corporate PR, this is high-level ego PvP. Apple gets to leverage ChatGPT as a shiny centerpiece for its AI push, while Musk tries to muscle Grok into the spotlight. The complaint about being left out of the “Must Have” list is particularly telling. That’s the kind of list most users barely notice but every developer obsesses over-just like gamers obsess over patch notes you’ll never read but will still yell about on forums.
There’s also a conspiracy-theory-friendly element here: Apple has every incentive to push its chosen AI partner since their integration helps sell devices and services. Meanwhile, Grok’s rise in the rankings doesn’t benefit Apple’s bigger picture nearly as much. Call it the “controlled environment” theory-like an MMORPG where the devs decide which class gets buffed before the tournament so the sponsors stay happy.
The Reality Check
- Apple has openly featured and favored ChatGPT in editorial spots.
- ChatGPT is tied directly into Apple’s shiny new AI features, making dethroning it akin to beating Dark Souls blindfolded.
- Musk is in an ongoing public and private slap-fight with OpenAI, making bias accusations convenient ammunition.
- Legal action may never materialize-or will quietly fold once the press circus moves on.
Final Verdict
On one hand, Apple clearly plays favorites like a teacher letting one kid write all the answers on the board. On the other, Musk’s outrage machine runs hotter than a gaming laptop in a sauna, and we’ve seen how often that heat actually melts anything. The truth here? Probably a messy little cocktail of legitimate platform bias and Musk’s flair for public theater. As much as I love a good David vs. Goliath narrative, this feels more like Goliath 1 vs. Goliath 2, while the rest of us peasants just hope the App Store doesn’t start charging for oxygen.
My conclusion? This is going to be entertaining for headlines, infuriating for anyone actually trying to compete fairly in AI, and ultimately, nothing that’s going to change the fact that the App Store remains Apple’s heavily fortified playground. Bring popcorn, but don’t bet rent money on this lawsuit ever landing a blow.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is entirely my opinion.
Note: The included image is unrelated to the article’s content about Apple, Musk, and the App Store app rankings dispute, but has been placed at the end as it is the only provided image.
Article source: Elon Musk accuses Apple of favoring OpenAI in App Store rankings, promises legal action, https://9to5mac.com/2025/08/11/elon-musk-accuses-apple-of-favoring-openai-in-app-store-rankings-promises-legal-action/
