Elon Musk’s Antitrust Claim Against Apple: A Battle for AI Supremacy
Elon Musk’s Antitrust Claim Against Apple: A Battle for AI Supremac In the early hours of August 12, 2025, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and founder of xAI, took to X to accuse Apple of engaging in “unequivocal antitrust violations.” The claim centers on Apple’s integration of OpenAI’s ChatGPT into its iOS, iPadOS, and macOS ecosystems, announced at WWDC 2024, which Musk argues stifles competition and prevents any AI company besides OpenAI from reaching the top of the App Store. With xAI poised to take legal action, this controversy reignites debates about monopolistic practices in the tech industry—a sector already scarred by historical antitrust battles like the 1998 Microsoft case.
The Core Allegation
Musk’s post suggests that Apple’s partnership with OpenAI, formalized in June 2024, creates an unfair advantage for ChatGPT by embedding it into Apple’s core experiences, including Siri and Writing Tools. This integration, powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4o, allows seamless access without requiring users to download separate apps, potentially sidelining competitors like xAI’s Grok. Musk’s assertion aligns with a recent U.S. federal judge’s decision in June 2025 to allow an antitrust lawsuit against Apple to proceed, which alleges that the company’s promotion of delayed Apple Intelligence features constituted false advertising and unfair competition. The lawsuit highlights how Apple’s marketing may have misled consumers into expecting advanced AI capabilities, further complicating its position.
Counterpoints and Evidence
However, the situation is not as one-sided as Musk portrays. The success of DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, challenges the notion of an impenetrable OpenAI monopoly on the App Store. In January 2025, DeepSeek’s 600B-parameter DeepSeek-V3 model, built for under $6 million using 2,000 Nvidia H800 chips, soared to the #1 spot on the App Store’s Top Free Apps chart. This achievement, reported by Business Insider, suggests that Apple’s app ranking system can support non-OpenAI AI applications, potentially weakening Musk’s argument unless xAI can provide evidence of deliberate suppression of Grok. The DeepSeek case also underscores a broader trend: AI innovation is no longer the exclusive domain of Western tech giants. Built with significantly less capital than models from OpenAI or xAI, DeepSeek’s rise indicates that competitive AI apps can thrive if given fair access. This raises the question of whether Musk’s legal threat is more about leveling the playing field or asserting xAI’s dominance in the AI race.
Historical Context and Legal Precedents
Antitrust concerns in tech are not new. The 1998 United States v. Microsoft Corp. case saw the company penalized for bundling Internet Explorer with Windows, a practice deemed to stifle competition. Similarly, Apple’s decision to integrate ChatGPT could be scrutinized under Section 1 of the Sherman Act, which prohibits agreements that unreasonably restrain trade. While the Microsoft case ultimately avoided a breakup due to insufficient proof of consumer harm, the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission have recently intensified scrutiny on big tech, filing lawsuits against Apple, Microsoft, Meta, and Google for alleged anticompetitive behavior. Microsoft and Apple’s recent steps back from OpenAI board seats, amid this regulatory pressure, further fuel the narrative of a tech industry under siege.
The X Reaction and Future Implications
The X thread following Musk’s post reveals a polarized response. Some users, like @WallStreetApes, support Musk’s call for an “X phone” to counter Apple’s dominance, while others, like @teortaxesTex, dismiss it as a “skill issue,” pointing to DeepSeek’s success. The suggestion of an xAI or Tesla phone resonates with Musk’s history of disruptive innovation, though no concrete plans have been announced. Meanwhile, critics argue that Apple’s refusal to unlock an iPhone linked to the 2015 San Bernardino terrorist attack reflects a broader pattern of prioritizing corporate interests over fairness—a narrative Musk could leverage in court. As of now, no peer-reviewed studies quantify the impact of AI app favoritism on market dynamics, but the precedent set by Microsoft suggests that regulators will closely examine whether Apple’s actions harm consumers or innovation. If xAI’s lawsuit gains traction, it could force Apple to offer users more choice in AI integrations—perhaps allowing Grok to compete directly with ChatGPT on iPhones.
Elon Musk’s antitrust claim against Apple is a bold move that pits xAI against a tech titan in a high-stakes battle for AI supremacy. While evidence of DeepSeek’s success tempers the narrative of an OpenAI monopoly, the historical context of antitrust law and current regulatory trends lend credence to Musk’s concerns. As legal proceedings unfold, the tech world watches closely, with the outcome potentially reshaping the future of AI accessibility and competition. For now, the question remains: Is this a fight for fairness, or a strategic play by Musk to elevate xAI’s profile? Only time—and the courts—will tell.