Apple has denied Musk’s claims, saying in a statement that the App Store “is designed to be fair and free of bias.”
The issue may have more to do with Apple’s standing deal with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Under a mid-2024 deal, ChatGPT is built into Siri and system-wide writing tools on an opt-in basis. Siri asks for permission before sending queries; no OpenAI account is required; and Apple has said it plans to support additional AI providers over time.
The OpenAI and Apple deal appeared to get under the billionaire’s skin when it was announced, with Musk taking to X to complain: “It’s patently absurd that Apple isn’t smart enough to make their own AI, yet is somehow capable of ensuring that OpenAI will protect your security & privacy!”
Musk went on to threaten to bar all Apple devices from his companies if OpenAI technology was integrated into iOS operating systems.
Apple is currently at the center of several other antitrust battles.
Apple’s App Store is one of the few key platforms for app distribution. Whoever gets visibility there is effectively handed a huge share of new users, which has been a point of contention for some of its competitors.
In the U.S., Apple’s App Store practices have been under scrutiny since 2020 when the company was sued by Epic Games over the removal of Fortnite from the App Store for bypassing its payment system to avoid the 30% commission. A federal appeals court recently refused to pause an order from its long-running battle with Epic Games that forces Apple to allow developers to direct users to outside payment options.
