Apple rubbishes Elon Musk's claims about App Store being biased to OpenAI

Apple

The simmering tension between Elon Musk and Apple boiled over this week, after Musk accused the company of systematically sidelining both X and xAI’s Grok in App Store promotions. In a late-night post on X, Musk claimed Apple was “unfairly” boosting ChatGPT, making it “impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1.” He vowed “immediate legal action” — though, as of today, no lawsuit has been filed.

Apple, in a statement to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, rejected any suggestion of bias. “The App Store is designed to be fair and free of bias,” it said, citing charts, algorithmic recommendations, and curated lists selected by experts using “objective criteria.” Apple stressed its aim to provide “safe discovery” for users — a phrase that appears to carry extra weight in this dispute. “Our goal is to offer safe discovery for users and valuable opportunities for developers, collaborating with many to increase app visibility in rapidly evolving categories," Apple told Bloomberg.

Musk’s complaint followed frustration that, despite X topping the News chart and Grok introducing major updates — including making Grok 4 free — the AI app only reached fifth overall and second in Productivity. By contrast, ChatGPT has consistently topped the charts, bolstered by visible App Store placement.

The “safe” remark could be read as a thinly veiled reference to Grok’s recent controversies, including antisemitic content and sexualised chatbot features. Such issues might make the app less likely to be recommended under Apple’s guidelines, regardless of downloads or engagement.

The spat has also been fuelled by Musk’s heated back-and-forth with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who countered the bias claims by pointing to Musk’s own alleged platform manipulation on X. For now, the legal threat remains just that — but the fight over App Store visibility, and the subtext about safety and suitability, seems far from over.