Seeing OpenAI’s ChatGPT app on the top of Apple App Store’s rankings likely infuriated Elon Musk, forcing him to file a lawsuit against the two companies through his own artificial intelligence firm, xAI, in a U.S. federal court in Texas. The lawsuit claims that both Apple and OpenAI are illegally conspiring to prevent competition, such as xAI, from gaining any traction. Musk previously accused Apple of giving unfair preference to OpenAI’s ChatGPT app on the App Store and vowed to take legal action against such activity, and it appears that he kept his word.
Lawsuit mentions that Apple has an ‘exclusive deal with OpenAI’ on its App Store, otherwise it would not have any reason to prevent competition from picking up in the rankings
Whether or not the lawsuit is termed baseless by the media, its details spotted by Reuters state that Apple and OpenAI have ‘locked up markets to maintain their monopolies and prevent innovators like X and xAI from competing.’ The report also suggests that Apple and OpenAI have some form of a clandestine partnership, which prevents competitors such as xAI’s Grok from taking the top spot in the App Store’s rankings. Because of this unfair treatment, Musk is seeking billions of dollars in alleged damages.
OpenAI did not back down and immediately responded to xAI’s lawsuit, with a company spokesperson saying that ‘this latest filing is consistent with Mr. Musk’s ongoing pattern of harassment.’ Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, had previously called out the Tesla CEO’s hypocritical statement by saying that he designed a system on X where the micro-blogging social network is manipulated for Musk’s benefit, monetary or otherwise.
Apple has yet to comment on the latest development, but it is no stranger to lawsuits that target its App Store policies and how it takes an anti-competitive approach with its platform. The Cupertino firm and Epic Games have been locked in an ongoing case for years, where Fortnite was removed from the App Store, but a judge later ordered the iPhone maker to allow the competition for third-party app payment options.
News Source: Reuters
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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