Apple has dismissed Elon Musk’s accusations that its App Store unfairly favors OpenAI over other AI app developers.
“We feature thousands of apps through charts, algorithmic recommendations, and curated lists selected by experts using objective criteria,” Apple told the BBC.
The rebuttal follows Musk’s threat to sue Apple via his AI startup xAI, alleging the company makes it “impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store.”
Apple partnered with OpenAI last year to integrate ChatGPT into Siri and other iOS features. However, there’s no evidence of preferential treatment, AI apps like Perplexity and DeepSeek have reached the top of the App Store charts in the past year.
The dispute comes at a time when Apple faces heightened scrutiny from regulators worldwide over its dominance in app distribution. The company is also under legal pressure in the U.S., where a district judge recently criticized Apple for not fully implementing court-ordered policy changes in its ongoing case with Epic Games.
