Musk and Altman clash intensifies as ChatGPT tops US App Store rankings

The rivalry between Elon Musk and Sam Altman has taken a new turn as competition in the artificial intelligence sector heats up.

Musk has accused Apple of giving preferential treatment to OpenAI on its App Store, blocking other AI products from reaching higher rankings.

Altman responded by alleging that Musk engages in similar practices on his social media platform X.

The exchanges come at a time when ChatGPT is the number one free app on the US App Store, while Musk’s xAI Grok sits in fifth place.

This dispute adds to a long-standing tension between the two tech leaders.

Musk accuses Apple of favouring OpenAI on the App Store

In a recent tweet, Musk claimed that Apple’s App Store policies breach antitrust rules by pushing OpenAI ahead of other AI companies.

He alleged that Apple has blocked rivals from surpassing OpenAI in rankings, a move that he said limits fair competition.

Musk’s comments come as Apple deepens its integration of OpenAI’s ChatGPT into its devices, giving it prominent visibility among users.

Altman countered these accusations by claiming to have heard that Musk uses X to promote his own companies and limit competitors’ reach.

He suggested that a counter-discovery process could reveal more about such alleged practices.

Musk responded to Altman’s comments by calling him dishonest and highlighting the high engagement levels on Altman’s post.

Musk noted that despite having 50 times Altman’s follower count, many of his own posts receive fewer views than Altman's posts.

He added that it was ironic for Altman to complain about suppression on X while attracting significant audience engagement.

Musk also addressed suggestions from users that X does not penalise posts about OpenAI, ChatGPT, or similar AI projects.

The dispute is part of an ongoing history between Musk and OpenAI. Musk co-founded the AI company in 2015 but stepped down from its board in 2018.

He is now suing OpenAI and Altman, claiming they have deviated from their original mission to develop AI for the benefit of all.

In February 2025, Musk’s $97.4 billion attempt to gain control of OpenAI was unsuccessful.

Since then, both parties have traded public criticism over each other’s strategies, motives, and management styles.

While the exchanges continue, ChatGPT remains the top free app on the US App Store and Google Play.

Musk’s xAI Grok ranks fifth on the App Store, while Google’s Gemini AI chatbot is positioned much lower at 57th.

Musk has questioned why X and Grok are not highlighted in Apple’s “Must Have” section, despite strong performance in their respective categories.

On Thursday, OpenAI launched GPT-5, describing it as its most advanced AI model to date. The release came shortly after xAI introduced Grok 4.