War of AI: Elon Musk, Sam Altman Trade Explosive Barbs

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Billionaire tech titans revive their long-running feud as Musk accuses Apple of App Store bias toward OpenAI

By TRH Tech Desk

NEW DELHI, August 12, 2025 — The bitter rivalry between Elon Musk and Sam Altman reignited in spectacular fashion on X this week, with both men exchanging sharp personal attacks over claims of App Store favouritism.

Musk, CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI, accused Apple of stacking the deck in favor of OpenAI. “Apple is behaving in a manner that makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store, which is an unequivocal antitrust violation. xAI will take immediate legal action,” Musk posted.

Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, fired back with a thinly veiled accusation that Musk had manipulated X’s algorithm for personal gain. “This is a remarkable claim given what I have heard alleged that Elon does to manipulate X to benefit himself and his own companies and harm his competitors and people he doesn’t like,” Altman wrote.

Musk responded furiously: “You got 3M views on your bullshit post, you liar, far more than I’ve received on many of mine, despite me having 50 times your follower count!”

Altman escalated the confrontation by challenging Musk to sign a sworn affidavit: “Will you sign an affidavit that you have never directed changes to the X algorithm in a way that has hurt your competitors or helped your own companies? I will apologize if so.”

Musk’s claim centers on Apple’s alleged bias after its June 2024 partnership with OpenAI. However, contrary examples exist: China-based DeepSeek reached #1 overall on the App Store in January 2025, and Perplexity AI hit the top spot in India’s App Store on July 18, 2025 — both well after the Apple-OpenAI tie-up.

This is far from the first time the two AI leaders have locked horns. Musk, a co-founder of OpenAI who left the board in 2018, has repeatedly criticized the company’s direction under Altman, accusing it of abandoning its nonprofit ethos. Altman has countered by portraying Musk’s critiques as self-serving and hypocritical. Their disputes have played out on multiple occasions across social media, each time drawing millions of views and fan-driven commentary.

With Musk hinting at a legal showdown and Altman challenging him to prove his hands are clean, the latest chapter in their feud shows no signs of cooling — and may even spill into court.

Timeline: Musk–Altman’s Biggest Public Spats

2018 – Musk Leaves OpenAI Board
Elon Musk exits OpenAI’s board, citing a potential conflict of interest with Tesla’s AI work. Altman later suggests philosophical differences over the company’s mission were a major factor.
March 2023 – “ClosedAI” Jab
Musk publicly accuses OpenAI of becoming “ClosedAI” after its partnership with Microsoft, claiming it abandoned its nonprofit roots. Altman fires back in interviews, saying Musk “wants the world to believe he’s the only one who cares about AI safety.”
June 2024 – Apple–OpenAI Partnership
Apple announces integration of ChatGPT into iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. Musk blasts the move, calling it a “security risk” and threatens to ban Apple devices from his companies. Altman calls the reaction “ridiculous.”
January 2025 – DeepSeek Hits #1 on App Store
Despite Musk’s claims of Apple bias, Chinese AI app DeepSeek tops the global App Store rankings, prompting online digs from Altman loyalists. Musk ignores the jab.
July 2025 – Perplexity AI Tops India’s App Store
Perplexity, a ChatGPT rival, hits #1 in India. Musk reiterates Apple bias claims, while Altman reposts rankings as evidence to the contrary.
August 2025 – Antitrust & Algorithm War
Musk accuses Apple of anti-competitive behaviour favouring OpenAI and vows legal action. Altman counters with allegations that Musk manipulates X’s algorithm to benefit his own companies, sparking a profanity-laced exchange.
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