New York, Aug 16:Tech giant Apple has denied any foul play, insisting its platform is “fair and free of bias” after Tesla and SpaceX owner Elon Musk accused the iPhone maker of favouritism in App Store rankings.Musk had claimed that that OpenAI’s ChatGPT ranks first because of Apple’s favouritism, while his apps, X and xAI’s Grok, are being sidelined.
Apple denied allegations that its App Store algorithms or curated lists favour ChatGPT over Musk’s offerings. “The App Store is designed to be fair and free of bias,” the company insisted, adding that recommendations are based on charts, algorithms, and expert editorial curation using objective criteria, according to multiple media reports.
“Our goal is to offer safe discovery for users and valuable opportunities for developers, collaborating with many to increase app visibility in rapidly evolving categories,” the company’s statement continued.
Musk on X criticised Apple for allegedly making it “impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1.”
He claimed that although X led the News chart and Grok received major updates, including making Grok 4 free for all users, his chatbot only reached fifth overall and second in the Productivity category.
Meanwhile, ChatGPT has held a firm grip on the top spot on the App Store. Musk had alleged that Apple’s support for ChatGPT is not driven by organic popularity. Apple has highlighted ChatGPT in App Store editorial content and incorporated OpenAI’s technology into its Apple Intelligence rollout, integrating it directly into Siri and writing tools.
Musk threatened “immediate legal action” over the matter, although no lawsuit has yet been filed.
Apple faces a challenging situation as it contends with a prominent antitrust case from the US Department of Justice. The company is appealing a ruling from its ongoing legal battle with Epic Games, which mandated changes to certain App Store rules.
Last week, on the eve of GPT-5’s launch, ChatGPT maker OpenAI announced massive bonus payouts for about 1,000 employees, which is approximately one-third of its full-time workforce.
GPT‑5 is available to all users, with Plus subscribers getting more usage and Pro subscribers getting access to GPT‑5 Pro, a version with extended reasoning for even more comprehensive and accurate answers.