Elon Musk Criticizes Apple's App Store: 'Are You Involved in Political Manipulation?'
In the realm of technology, an ongoing debate has emerged surrounding Apple's App Store curation practices, with significant antitrust concerns being raised. The crux of the issue is that Apple, as the controller of app distribution on iOS devices, imposes strict guidelines and collects a commission on in-app purchases. Critics argue that these practices limit competition and favour certain apps over rivals [1][2][3].
This scrutiny has led to major legal battles, such as Epic Games' lawsuit accusing Apple of monopolistic behaviour by restricting alternative payment systems and marketplaces [2][3]. Additionally, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating Apple for strategic market status, potentially leading to mandatory changes to open the platform to more competition [1][4].
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and Neuralink, has entered the fray, alleging that Apple has shown favouritism in its App Store curation. Musk claims that Apple has promoted OpenAI’s ChatGPT over competitor AI services like Musk's own Grok and the social platform X [5]. Such favouritism could constitute discrimination against rivals, raising antitrust issues of platform gatekeeping and preferential treatment.
If Apple leverages its gatekeeper position to advantage certain AI services, it risks violating emerging regulatory frameworks aimed at preventing anticompetitive preferential conduct on dominant digital platforms [1][4]. The case could hinge on distinguishing between Apple's right to curate its marketplace and conduct that unlawfully distorts competition.
Musk's allegations highlight these concerns in the context of AI competition. Himanshu Tyagi, a professor at the Indian Institute of Science and co-founder of AI firm Sentient, describes Apple's alleged favouritism as pure censorship. Legal experts suggest that the case could test the line between curation rights and anti-competitive conduct [5].
The dispute comes amid ongoing antitrust probes into Apple's App Store dominance. Courts would likely examine factors like the consistency of curation policies, whether decisions serve legitimate business purposes, and the overall impact on competition rather than individual competitors [2][3][5].
Decisions like this one from Apple will play an increasingly large role in the development of large language models, according to Jesse Glass, lead AI researcher at DecideAI. Platform control can potentially shape competition and determine which products gain or lose market share [5]. Some warn that platform favouritism can distort competition in the AI sector by limiting visibility for potentially superior products.
Musk claimed that X is the #1 news app in the world and Grok is #5 among all apps. Elon Musk tweeted about the issue on his social media platform on August 11, 2025 [5]. As the investigation progresses, it remains to be seen whether Apple's practices will face significant changes to promote fair competition in the app market.
- The debate surrounding Apple's App Store curation practices in the technology industry has raised significant antitrust concerns, with critics arguing that these practices limit competition and favor certain apps over rivals.
- Epic Games' lawsuit against Apple accuses the tech giant of monopolistic behavior by restricting alternative payment systems and marketplaces, a concern echoed in the UK Competition and Markets Authority's investigation into Apple for strategic market status.
- Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and Neuralink, has joined the conversation, alleging that Apple has shown favoritism in its App Store curation, potentially constituting discrimination against rivals like Musk's own AI service, Grok.
- If Apple leverages its gatekeeper position to advantage certain AI services, it risks violating emerging regulatory frameworks aimed at preventing anticompetitive preferential conduct on dominant digital platforms.
- The case could hinge on distinguishing between Apple's right to curate its marketplace and conduct that unlawfully distorts competition, as described by Himanshu Tyagi, a professor at the Indian Institute of Science.
- Decisions made by Apple regarding app curation will play an increasingly large role in the development of large language models, according to Jesse Glass, lead AI researcher at DecideAI.
- As the investigation progresses, it remains to be seen whether Apple's practices will face significant changes to promote fair competition in the app market, with Musk claiming that X is the #1 news app in the world and Grok is #5 among all apps.
