Elon Musk has withdrawn his legal claims against Apple, bringing one part of his dispute over the technology giant’s partnership with OpenAI to an end. However, his broader legal battle with OpenAI remains active, leaving the door open for further challenges over competition in the artificial intelligence industry.
Musk’s Dispute With Apple Began Over OpenAI Integration
The conflict dates back to 2024, when Apple announced its partnership with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into its products. Musk criticized the agreement, accusing Apple of allowing OpenAI to install what he described as “creepy spyware” on users’ devices.
In the following year, Musk filed a lawsuit alleging that the partnership created a monopoly over AI prompts from Apple users. According to his claims, the agreement could harm competition in both the smartphone and chatbot markets.
Grok and Apple’s App Store Rankings
Musk’s criticism of Apple intensified after he raised concerns about the position of his AI chatbot, Grok, in the App Store.
Last August, he alleged that Apple was making it difficult for AI companies other than OpenAI to reach the top of the App Store rankings. Musk described the alleged conduct as an “unequivocal antitrust violation.”
The accusations added another layer to the dispute, connecting Apple’s partnership with OpenAI to wider concerns about competition between AI companies.
Musk Withdraws Claims Against Apple
On Monday, Musk confirmed in a court filing that he had resolved all claims against Apple. The filing did not disclose whether the parties had reached a negotiated settlement or explain why X had decided to seek a voluntary dismissal.
The filing does, however, indicate that Musk agreed not to bring the same claims against Apple again. Notably, he did not agree to withdraw those claims against OpenAI.
This distinction leaves Musk’s legal challenge against OpenAI intact and suggests that the dispute over the competitive effects of the Apple and OpenAI partnership may continue.
OpenAI Faces Continued Antitrust Pressure
Musk now appears poised to pursue arguments that OpenAI used its relationship with Apple to strengthen its position in the chatbot market. Apple has emphasized that its agreement with OpenAI was not exclusive.
OpenAI has previously criticized Musk’s lawsuit, characterizing it as another attempt to harass the company while Musk’s rival AI business, now known as SpaceXAI, works to compete in the industry.
Last fall, OpenAI described Musk’s allegations as baseless. The company also challenged his estimates concerning the portion of the chatbot market allegedly affected by the Apple and OpenAI agreement.
Musk suggested that the deal could affect between zero and 55 percent of the chatbot market, based on what he called “back of the envelope math.” OpenAI has argued that the court should reject this estimate.