Shortly after Musk criticized the Apple App Store for allegedly prioritizing OpenAI over his xAI offerings, Apple issued a response. In a comment to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple asserted that the App Store is “structured to be equitable and free from bias,” pointing out its reliance on charts, algorithm-driven recommendations, and carefully curated lists by specialists to guarantee secure exploration for users and opportunities for developers.

Musk’s original message on X alleged that Apple’s methods rendered it “impossible for any AI company aside from OpenAI to achieve #1 in the App Store.” Apple and OpenAI have collaborated since 2024. Nevertheless, X’s Community Notes promptly disputed Musk’s assertions, highlighting that various AI applications like DeepSeek and Perplexity have reached the top of the App Store charts.

The matter escalated into a public clash between Musk and OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman, who accused Musk of manipulating X’s algorithm for his own gain. Even Grok, xAI’s chatbot, participated in the dialogue.

Currently, Musk has not lodged a formal antitrust complaint against Apple, nor has he presented evidence to support his allegations, but if the conflict persists, it could merely be a matter of time.