Elon Musk has dropped all claims against Apple in his antitrust lawsuit over the ChatGPT-iPhone integration, but he is keeping the same accusations alive against OpenAI. A court filing on Monday confirmed the voluntary dismissal of Apple from the case, with Musk agreeing never to raise those claims again. The claims against OpenAI remain active.
How the Lawsuit Started
The dispute traces back to 2024, when Apple announced it would integrate ChatGPT into iPhone features. Musk publicly criticized the partnership as an agreement that let OpenAI install "creepy spyware" on Apple devices. In 2025, Musk sued both companies, arguing that the deal gave Apple and OpenAI a monopoly over AI prompts from Apple users, which he claimed harmed competition in both the smartphone and chatbot markets.
Musk's frustration appeared to intensify after he alleged that Apple was preventing his chatbot, Grok, from reaching the top of the App Store rankings. In August, he publicly accused Apple of behaving "in a manner that makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach number one in the App Store," calling it an antitrust violation.
Why Apple Got Dropped
The court filing does not explain why Musk agreed to dismiss Apple from the case. No settlement terms were disclosed, and the filing does not indicate whether Apple requested the dismissal or whether Musk voluntarily chose to撤回 the claims. What the filing does make clear is that Musk agreed to never bring those specific claims against Apple again.
The voluntary dismissal with a commitment not to refile is unusual. Typically, voluntary dismissals allow the plaintiff to refile later, unless the court orders otherwise or a settlement includes such a provision. The fact that Musk agreed to this restriction suggests either a negotiated resolution or a strategic decision to focus the legal pressure on OpenAI rather than Apple.
The Remaining Claims Against OpenAI
Musk is now advancing the argument that OpenAI used the Apple deal, which Apple has repeatedly emphasized was never exclusive, to monopolize the chatbot market. The core of the remaining case appears to rest on the idea that OpenAI leveraged its integration with Apple devices to gain market dominance that competitors like Grok could not match.
OpenAI has already responded forcefully, calling the lawsuit another attempt to harass the company as Musk's own AI venture, now called SpaceXAI, struggles to compete. OpenAI mocked Musk's market share claims last fall, noting that he could not "hazard a guess" at what portion of the chatbot market was actually being foreclosed by the Apple partnership. Musk's estimate ranged from zero to 55 percent, which he described as "back-of-the-envelope math." OpenAI argued the court should reject that range as insufficient to support an antitrust claim.
What This Means for the AI Market
The case raises broader questions about how platform integrations affect competition in AI. Apple's decision to integrate ChatGPT created a distribution advantage for OpenAI that other chatbot developers do not enjoy on iOS. Whether that advantage constitutes anticompetitive behavior depends on whether the integration was truly exclusive, whether Apple offered similar terms to competitors, and whether OpenAI's market position was gained through the deal or through its product quality.
Musk's decision to drop Apple while keeping OpenAI in the suit suggests a strategic calculation. Apple can argue it offers integration opportunities to multiple AI providers. OpenAI is easier to target as the beneficiary of the alleged anticompetitive arrangement. The case will now proceed with Musk trying to prove that OpenAI's position in the chatbot market is the product of an exclusive arrangement rather than user preference, which is a significantly harder argument to make.