Elon Musk and Sam Altman’s long-standing feud has once again boiled over into a very public and very personal showdown – this time with Apple caught in the crossfire.
Once collaborators in the early days of OpenAI, the two tech titans have been on opposing sides ever since the company shifted to a for-profit model, a move Musk strongly opposed.
The latest clash began when Musk accused Apple of deliberately favoring OpenAI in the App Store, claiming the tech giant was effectively blocking other AI companies – including his own xAI – from gaining top rankings. Calling it an antitrust violation, Musk threatened legal action and framed the dispute as a fight for fair competition.
Altman quickly hit back, flatly denying the allegations and turning the tables by accusing Musk of hypocrisy. He pointed out that Musk himself manipulates visibility on X, favoring his own projects while undermining competitors. With a sharply worded rebuttal, Altman shifted the focus from Apple’s alleged favoritism to Musk’s own practices.
What might have stayed a debate over tech policy soon turned into a personal slugfest. Musk, in his next salvo, suggested that Altman’s posts were receiving artificially boosted engagement, contrasting them with the relatively lower reach of his own. The implication: someone was gaming the system to control the narrative.
It’s no longer just about App Store rankings or AI competition – this is now a battle over influence, perception, and the ability to dominate public conversation. Whether Musk’s accusations reflect genuine concern or simply another sharp counterpunch, the feud lays bare the mutual distrust between two of the most prominent voices in AI – and the increasingly blurred line between strategic rivalry and personal vendetta.