Elon Musk is embarking on yet one more costly, however probably fruitless, authorized problem towards a market opponent, with Musk’s xAI lodging a lawsuit towards each Apple and OpenAI over alleged market collusion, which is designed, xAI claims, to stifle potential competitors.
Earlier within the month, after the launch of xAI’s newest Grok 4 mannequin, Musk accused Apple of intentionally limiting promotion of the Grok app, regardless of its clear reputation.
As per Musk:
“Apple is behaving in a way that makes it unattainable for any AI firm in addition to OpenAI to succeed in #1 within the App Retailer, which is an unequivocal antitrust violation. xAI will take rapid authorized motion.”
Which, in fact, is wrong.
As many have identified since Musk made this declare (and was even talked about in a Group Observe on Elon’s X put up), many AI apps have reached the primary spot within the App Retailer rankings, together with Perplexity, DeepSeek and Meta AI.
However for some cause, xAI has launched authorized motion on this foundation both method, alleging that each Apple and OpenAI have “locked up markets to keep up their monopolies and forestall innovators like X and xAI from competing.”
The submitting means that Apple’s partnership with OpenAI has pushed the corporate to angle the market to learn the corporate. Late final yr, Apple reached a deal to combine ChatGPT into its working system for iPhones, iPads, and Macs, and xAI claims that this deal is why Apple is now penalizing xAI in its rankings.
“If not for its unique cope with OpenAI, Apple would haven’t any cause to chorus from extra prominently that includes the X app and the Grok app in its App Retailer.”
Or each X and Grok are simply not as widespread as Elon thinks. However logic apart, plainly xAI goes to go forward with its authorized motion on this foundation, which appears unlikely to do something, apart from costing all events more cash.
Although it may additionally backfire on Musk, by prompting Apple to take a more in-depth eye at Elon’s apps, which can not cross the App Retailer {qualifications} round grownup content material or safety of children. Certainly, the current addition of NSFW AI companions on X might be due for App Retailer scrutiny, whereas Grok’s current racist rants is also problematic, if Apple had been inclined to hit again at Musk’s corporations.
I imply, final time Elon determined to tackle Apple, over app retailer charges, he shut up fairly fast when Apple knowledgeable him of such dangers.
However he’s evidently keen to threat it once more, along with his blind hatred for OpenAI seemingly nonetheless motivating him to hunt any retribution he can, towards the corporate that spurned him after he provided to be its CEO (and OpenAI declined) in its early phases.
So Elon simply retains taking OpenAI to court docket, costing it money and time in defending itself towards his grievances.
Will it work? I’d say that it’s unlikely, on condition that the idea for the case appears fairly simply refuted. However there have to be some logic to Musk’s lawfare method, heaping increasingly stress onto his opponents, with a view to each acquire press protection for his companies, and impede their progress with authorized issues.
