Sam Altman Challenges Elon Musk’s Antitrust Claims Against Apple

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has openly challenged Elon Musk’s assertions that Apple is unfairly prioritising OpenAI in its App Store rankings. On the platform X, Altman referred to Musk’s statement as “a remarkable claim,” especially considering allegations he has encountered regarding Musk’s own conduct on the social media platform.

Altman remarked, “This is a remarkable claim given what I have heard alleged that Elon does to manipulate X to benefit himself and his own companies and harm his competitors and people he doesn’t like,” in response to Musk’s accusation of Apple committing antitrust violations.

Musk’s Allegations Against Apple

Musk previously stated that “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.”

However, it is noteworthy that other AI applications have secured the top spot in the App Store since the June 2024 partnership between OpenAI and Apple. Notable examples include DeepSeek rising to prominence in January 2025 and Perplexity gaining traction in India in July 2025.

Altman’s Response and Calls for Investigation

Altman also expressed his willingness to further investigate Musk’s assertions. He stated, “I hope someone will get counter-discovery on this; I and many others would love to know what’s been happening. But OpenAI will just stay focused on making great products.”

Later, Altman tweeted, “Will you sign an affidavit that you have never directed changes to the X algorithm in a way that has hurt your competitors or helped your own companies? I will apologise if so.”

Will you sign an affidavit that you have never directed changes to the X algorithm in a way that has hurt your competitors or helped your own companies? I will apologise if so.

— Sam Altman (@sama) August 12, 2025

Ongoing Tensions in the AI Industry

This exchange highlights the latest public confrontation between the two tech giants, who have continuously critiqued one another’s companies and strategies, reflecting the intensifying competition within the AI sector.