Elon Musk is embarking on one more costly, however seemingly fruitless, authorized problem in opposition to a market opponent, with Musk’s xAI lodging a lawsuit in opposition to 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 recognition.
As per Musk:
“Apple is behaving in a way that makes it not possible for any AI firm in addition to OpenAI to achieve #1 within the App Retailer, which is an unequivocal antitrust violation. xAI will take fast authorized motion.”
Which, after all, is wrong.
As many have identified since Musk made this declare (and was even talked about in a Neighborhood Word on Elon’s X submit), many AI apps have reached the primary spot within the App Retailer rankings, together with Perplexity, DeepSeek and Meta AI.
However for some purpose, xAI has launched authorized motion on this foundation both means, 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 purpose 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 well-liked 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, aside from costing all events extra money.
Although it may additionally backfire on Musk, by prompting Apple to take a better eye at Elon’s apps, which can not cross the App Retailer {qualifications} round grownup content material or safety of youngsters. Certainly, the latest addition of NSFW AI companions on X may very well be due for App Retailer scrutiny, whereas Grok’s latest racist rants is also problematic, if Apple had been inclined to hit again at Musk’s firms.
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 danger it once more, along with his blind hatred for OpenAI seemingly nonetheless motivating him to hunt any retribution he can, in opposition to the corporate that spurned him after he supplied 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 in opposition to his grievances.
Will it work? I might say that it’s unlikely, on condition that the premise for the case appears fairly simply refuted. However there have to be some logic to Musk’s lawfare method, heaping increasingly strain onto his opponents, so as to each achieve press protection for his companies, and impede their progress with authorized issues.
