You know that feeling when your favorite restaurant suddenly starts pushing a new dish while your usual order gets buried on page three of the menu? That’s essentially what Elon Musk claims Apple is doing with AI apps in the App Store—and he’s threatening to lawyer up about it.
The Accusation That Broke X
Musk fired off accusations via X (formerly Twitter) that Apple manipulates App Store rankings to ensure OpenAI’s ChatGPT dominates while rival AI apps like his own Grok get systematically suppressed. His exact words: Apple engages in behavior “that makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store.”
The timing isn’t coincidental. Apple announced its partnership with OpenAI in June 2024, integrating ChatGPT features directly into:
- iOS
- iPadOS
- macOS
Suddenly, your iPhone’s Siri gets ChatGPT superpowers, and Musk sees conspiracy where others might see strategic business partnership.
Apple’s Corporate Eye-Roll
Apple’s response was swift and categorical: absolutely not happening. An Apple spokesperson stated the App Store features “thousands of apps through charts, algorithmic recommendations, and curated lists selected by experts using objective criteria.”
The company maintains that all apps face identical review processes and ranking algorithms, regardless of any behind-the-scenes partnerships. Their position essentially boils down to: if your app isn’t ranking well, maybe the problem isn’t the platform.
The Reality Check
Current App Store rankings tell an interesting story about essential AI apps:
| AI App | Current Ranking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | #1 free app | Legitimately popular, not surprising |
| Grok | #6 | Respectable position for newer competitor |
| Google’s Gemini AI | Significantly lower | Also not featuring partnership privileges |
| Perplexity | Reached top positions | Throughout 2025 |
| DeepSeek | Recent surge | During its viral moment |
These numbers suggest competition among AI apps remains alive and well—more like a typical tech sector battle than the rigged game Musk describes.
The Partnership That Started Everything
Apple’s OpenAI alliance delivers tangible consumer benefits:
- Enhanced writing tools
- Image generation capabilities
- Genuinely useful Siri improvements
The partnership structure reveals no direct payments from Apple to OpenAI—instead, OpenAI gains massive exposure while Microsoft (OpenAI’s primary investor) benefits indirectly.
Tim Cook framed the integration as transformative: “Apple Intelligence will transform what users can do with our products—and what our products can do for our users.”
Regulatory Storm Clouds
This corporate spat unfolds against mounting regulatory pressure on Apple’s App Store practices. The Epic Games legal battle forced greater transparency, while US and EU antitrust authorities continue scrutinizing platform “gatekeeper” power.
Your app discovery experience increasingly becomes a regulatory battleground where corporate partnerships meet competition law. The question isn’t whether Apple favors certain developers—it’s whether platform holders should face stricter oversight of their editorial decisions and algorithmic recommendations.
The real winner here? Probably the lawyers preparing for whatever comes next in the ongoing saga of tech platform politics meeting AI ambitions.
