August 12, 2025 – On August 11 local time, Elon Musk took to the social media platform X to voice his strong dissatisfaction with Apple. Musk claimed that X is the top – ranked news application globally, while Grok holds the fifth position among all apps. He then questioned Apple’s refusal to include either X or Grok in the “Essential” category of the App Store, asking, “Are you playing politics? What on earth is going on? Curious minds want to know.”
Musk further alleged that Apple’s actions have made it impossible for any AI company other than OpenAI to reach the number – one spot on the App Store rankings. He firmly believes that this behavior is a clear violation of antitrust laws and stated that xAI, the company behind Grok, will immediately initiate legal proceedings against Apple.
This is not the first time Musk has had a public spat with Apple. Back in 2021, he openly criticized Apple’s in – app purchase commission, calling it a “de facto global internet tax.” He also showed his support for Epic Games, which was in a battle with Apple at the time.
In 2022, Musk suddenly took to Twitter (now X) to claim that Apple was threatening to remove the Twitter app from the App Store. He also accused Apple of almost halting its advertising on Twitter and suppressing “free speech.” However, not long after, Musk visited Apple Park and met with Tim Cook. He later announced that the “misunderstandings” had been resolved, and Cook made it clear that Apple had never considered removing Twitter from the App Store.
