When Apple’s ChatGPT integration was announced in 2024, Musk described it as a deal allowing OpenAI to install “creepy spyware” on users’ devices. In a lawsuit filed the following year, he argued that the partnership harmed competition in the smartphone and chatbot markets by creating a “monopoly” over Apple users’ artificial intelligence prompts. He also claimed that Grok had been unlawfully prevented from reaching the top of the App Store rankings.
In a court filing on Monday, Musk withdrew his claims against Apple with prejudice. The reason for the decision and the terms of any potential settlement were not disclosed, while the same allegations against OpenAI remained in place. Musk maintains that OpenAI monopolized the chatbot market through the agreement, which Apple has emphasized is not exclusive.
OpenAI described the lawsuit as an attempt at harassment prompted by rival SpaceXAI falling behind. It said that last fall, Musk provided estimates ranging from 0% to 55% for the portion of the market that had been excluded, describing this as a “rough calculation.” While denying the violations, the company said in May that Apple had not promoted the integration sufficiently and had designed the features to be difficult to find. An executive said the agreement was expected to generate billions of dollars a year from subscriptions; legal action was considered after renegotiations stalled.
This year, Musk lost a lawsuit alleging that OpenAI had abandoned its mission to develop artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity after a jury unanimously ruled that he had filed it too late. Apple and OpenAI argued that Musk could not pursue his claims in the smartphone market because he does not manufacture smartphones. This summer, the court ordered Apple to provide Musk’s companies with internal communications concerning the agreement.
Why it matters
The permanent withdrawal of the claims against Apple narrows the case’s focus from app store rankings and the smartphone market to OpenAI’s position in the chatbot market. However, because the reason for the withdrawal and the terms of any potential settlement were not disclosed, it remains unclear what role the decision requiring the disclosure of internal communications regarding Apple’s integration played in the process. The continuation of the allegations against OpenAI keeps before the court the question of whether an agreement that Apple has also emphasized is non-exclusive effectively restricts competition. Musk’s wide-ranging estimate of the excluded portion of the market, along with the parties’ opposing arguments over violations, promotion and availability, makes the specific evidence supporting the monopoly claim the central issue in the case.
Background
Apple is no new name in the FikirPilot archive: over the past 90 days, we have published 95 news stories mentioning it; the latest is dated September 15, 2026.