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Musk Threatens Legal Action Against Apple Over App Store Rankings

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Elon Musk announced on Monday that his AI startup xAI will pursue legal action against Apple, accusing the tech giant of violating antitrust rules by allegedly favoring OpenAI’s ChatGPT in App Store rankings.

Musk claimed Apple’s App Store policies make it “impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1,” calling the practice a “clear antitrust violation.” At present, ChatGPT is ranked first in the U.S. App Store’s “Top Free Apps,” while xAI’s chatbot Grok stands in fifth place.

Musk also criticized Apple for not featuring X (formerly Twitter) or Grok in its “Must Have” section, despite X being the “#1 news app globally” and Grok ranking among the top five apps. He suggested Apple might be “playing politics” in its selection process.

Apple, OpenAI, and xAI did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. However, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman pushed back against Musk’s claims, pointing out the irony by referencing Musk’s own alleged efforts to manipulate X for personal advantage.

Community fact-checkers on X highlighted that other AI apps, such as China’s DeepSeek and Perplexity AI, have reached the top spot in the App Store this year, undermining Musk’s argument that only OpenAI benefits from Apple’s system.

The dispute comes amid increasing regulatory scrutiny of Apple’s App Store dominance. Earlier in 2024, the EU fined Apple €500 million ($581 million) for anti-competitive practices, ruling that the company’s restrictions prevented app developers from directing users outside the App Store ecosystem.

Musk’s challenge may add further pressure to global regulators already investigating Apple’s control over app distribution and its partnerships with AI companies.

Tesla Refocuses AI Chip Development, Elon Musk Confirms Shift Away from Dojo Supercomputer Team

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that the company will streamline its AI chip research to concentrate primarily on developing inference chips designed to run AI models and enable real-time decision-making. This follows reports that Musk ordered the disbandment of the in-house Dojo supercomputer team, with its leader, Peter Bannon, leaving the company.

The Dojo supercomputer, built around custom training chips, was originally created to process vast data from Tesla electric vehicles to train its autonomous driving software. Musk stated on X that it no longer makes sense for Tesla to split resources between two distinct AI chip designs. Instead, all efforts will now focus on Tesla’s AI5, AI6, and subsequent chips, which are optimized for inference tasks and still capable of training AI models effectively.

Analysts, including Morgan Stanley’s Adam Jonas, had previously valued the Dojo supercomputer at $500 billion in 2023, viewing it as a key growth driver for Tesla beyond vehicle sales, comparable to Amazon’s cloud business. It remains unclear how this restructuring will impact Tesla’s valuation.

Industry-wide, tech companies are consolidating custom chip development to reduce latency, power consumption, and costs while focusing on fewer architectures. Tesla’s recent restructuring includes executive departures, job cuts, and a strategic pivot toward AI-driven self-driving technology and robotics, with Musk aiming for synergy across his technology ventures.

Musk has announced plans for next-generation AI5 chips targeted for production by the end of 2026 and revealed a $16.5 billion contract with Samsung Electronics to supply AI6 chips. These chips are expected to power Tesla’s autonomous vehicles and Optimus humanoid robots, with potential for broader AI applications due to their substantial compute capabilities.

According to Bloomberg, around 20 Dojo team members have already left to join the startup DensityAI, while remaining staff are being reassigned within Tesla to other compute and data center projects.

Firefly Aerospace Rockets to $9.8 Billion Valuation in Nasdaq Debut with 55.6% Surge

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Firefly Aerospace (FLY.O) soared 55.6% in its Nasdaq debut on Thursday, securing a valuation of $9.84 billion as investor enthusiasm continues for companies supporting the U.S. space and defense sectors. The Texas-based firm’s shares opened at $70, sharply above the IPO price of $45, and reached an intraday high of $71.16.

Firefly’s IPO raised $868.3 million, marking the largest U.S. space tech listing of 2025, with a $6.32 billion valuation at pricing—surpassing competitors Karman Holdings and Voyager Technologies. The company made headlines earlier this year by becoming the first private company to successfully land on the moon with its Blue Ghost lunar lander.

CEO Jason Kim highlighted the company’s milestones, including its lunar landing, rapid Pentagon rocket launches, and plans to offer maneuverable spacecraft to the U.S. Space Force. Firefly’s origins trace back to 2014, recovering from bankruptcy in 2017 and a management overhaul. It was acquired by AE Industrial Partners after national security concerns led to the forced sale of majority stake previously held by Ukrainian investor Max Polyakov.

Firefly’s medium-sized Alpha rocket and spacecraft business are positioned to serve expanding government and commercial lunar markets. The company had a $1.1 billion backlog and 30+ planned launches as of March 31, although it expects to post net losses for several upcoming years.

The company is also poised to contribute to U.S. military space programs, including the “Golden Dome” missile defense initiative. Partnerships with defense contractors like Northrop Grumman support its production scale-up and align with national security priorities.

The IPO success follows renewed momentum in U.S. public offerings after volatility earlier this year and demonstrates investor appetite for space industry innovators.