Apple App Store Bias? Elon Musk Claims X and Grok Face Unfair Rankings

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk is threatening legal action against Apple, accusing the tech giant of unfairly excluding his social media platform X and its AI chatbot Grok from the App Store’s top recommended apps.

Musk, who owns SpaceX, Tesla, and X (formerly Twitter), posted the complaint late Monday on his own platform.

Hey @Apple App Store, why do you refuse to put either X or Grok in your ‘Must Have’ section when X is the #1 news app in the world and Grok is #5 among all apps? Are you playing politics? What gives? Inquiring minds want to know.

Grok is developed by Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI. The billionaire argued that Apple’s actions create an uneven playing field. Musk also showed his intentions to take legal action against Apple, although he didn’t give any further details.

Apple is behaving in a manner that makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store, which is an unequivocal antitrust violation. xAI will take immediate legal action.

Apple’s Antitrust History

Apple has faced mounting antitrust scrutiny worldwide. In April, European Union regulators fined the company €500 million for breaking competition rules by restricting developers from guiding users to cheaper options outside its App Store.

Last year, the EU also issued a nearly $2 billion penalty for allegedly favoring its own music streaming service over rivals like Spotify. In the U.S., a federal judge recently ruled Apple had violated a court injunction in an antitrust case brought by Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite.

Apple did not immediately respond to Musk’s latest claims.

App Store Rankings Tell a Different Story

As of Tuesday morning, Apple’s top app rankings placed TikTok first, followed by Tinder, Duolingo, YouTube, and Bumble. OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Apple’s high-profile AI partner, was in seventh place. Neither X nor Grok appeared in the “Must Have” recommendations.

Musk’s comments come at a time when competition in the AI market is intensifying, with xAI positioning Grok as a direct challenger to ChatGPT. The dispute also underscores tensions between major tech players as they fight for visibility in app marketplaces dominated by a handful of companies.

Apple App Store Bias: What’s Next

If Musk follows through with legal action, the case could further test the boundaries of how much control Apple can exert over its App Store listings. Any resulting lawsuit would likely reignite the global debate over platform fairness, developer rights, and whether existing antitrust laws are equipped to handle the growing influence of app marketplaces.

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