MUSK THREATENS TO SUE APPLE OVER EXCLUSION OF X AND GROK FROM TOP APP RANKINGS

Elon Musk is threatening legal action against Apple after claiming that the company intentionally excluded his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and his Al chatbot Grok from its App Store “Top Apps” lists.

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Musk made the accusation in a series of posts on X, suggesting that Apple's app ranking system is biased and possibly in violation of competition laws.

The dispute centers on Apple's charts for the most downloaded and most engaged-with applications in categories such as social media, productivity, and entertainment. According to Musk, both X and Grok should be appearing in high positions based on their download numbers and engagement metrics, but are being “shadow-suppressed” by Apple's ranking algorithm.

ALLEGATIONS OF ALGORITHMIC BIAS

Musk has not provided detailed internal data to support his claim, but said that X has consistently ranked among the top global apps in downloads since late 2024 and that Grok usage has been surging after recent product updates. “Apple is cheating the charts. They don't want X or Grok visible in the top rankings because they compete with Apple’s own services,” Musk wrote.