Elon Musk has filed a lawsuit against Apple and OpenAI, accusing the two tech giants of teaming up to stifle competition in the artificial intelligence space.
The case, lodged in Texas on Monday, claims Apple struck an exclusive deal that gives OpenAI’s ChatGPT special treatment on iPhones, iPads, and Macs—while leaving little room for rival platforms like Musk’s own xAI and its chatbot, Grok.
Musk argues that Apple is using its dominant market position—roughly 65% of the smartphone share—to box out competitors and tilt the playing field in OpenAI’s favor.
The legal challenge follows Apple’s 2024 announcement that ChatGPT would be fully integrated into its devices. According to Musk, this makes it almost impossible for alternatives like Grok to compete fairly in the App Store, even if users might want more options. Earlier this month, he had already hinted at a potential lawsuit, calling Apple’s approach “unfair.”
Neither Apple nor OpenAI has publicly commented on the case. However, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently fired back at Musk, accusing him of using his own platform, X, to attack rivals while promoting his ventures.
Despite the lawsuit, Apple’s shares climbed 0.6% on Monday, while Tesla, another Musk-owned company, gained 1.2%. OpenAI remains privately held, while xAI is still a young startup trying to hold its ground against industry heavyweights like Microsoft-backed OpenAI and China’s DeepSeek.
