Here’s what’s on our plate today:

• 🍏 Musk vs. Apple & OpenAI: The tech mogul’s lawsuit.

• 📊 Should AI gatekeeping be legal?

• 🧠 Sketch, sync, or transcribe: 3 tools you’ll want to try today.

• 📰 AI pain, Google’s Duolingo play, and Anthropic’s copyright deal.

Let’s dive in. No floaties needed…

The Laboratory

How Musk’s lawsuits against Apple and OpenAI could reshape AI access

Elon Musk will go down in history as one of the most polarizing figures in the tech industry. Best known for companies like SpaceX, Tesla, and now xAI, he has played roles in eight major firms, including OpenAI. Beyond founding companies, Musk has also relied on lawsuits as a strategic weapon rather than a last resort to win attention, slow rival rollouts, and shape public opinion. His latest move, suing Apple and OpenAI regardless of the outcome, could reshape AI distribution channels.

Musk’s xAI is suing Apple and OpenAI, alleging they broke antitrust laws by conspiring to block competition in AI. He claims Apple’s exclusive deal with OpenAI prevents rivals like xAI from gaining visibility in the App Store. According to xAI, if not for the exclusive deal between Apple and OpenAI, the X and Grok apps would have found more prominent positions in Apple’s App Store.

The lawsuit comes days after Musk threatened action against Apple over managing App Store ranking. According to Musk, Apple’s actions make it impossible for any AI company, other than OpenAI, to reach the number one slot on its App Store, which is an antitrust violation. Musk, in a post, asked Apple why it refuses to put either X or Grok in your 'Must Have' section. According to Musk,  X is the top news app in the world, and Grok is ranked fifth among all apps.

While Musk may look to highlight App Store rankings as the reason behind the lawsuit, its timing and allegations suggest there may be more than meets the eye. However, before unpacking how the lawsuit impacts AI, one needs to understand why Apple entered a deal with OpenAI and how it impacts the AI supply chain.

Inside Apple’s partnership with OpenAI

In January 2025, Mark Zuckerberg slammed Apple for its lackluster innovation efforts. According to Zuckerberg, Apple has failed to innovate, and since the launch of the iPhone, has been relying on peripheral devices and commission fees to drive up profits.

The comments made by Zuckerberg are part of a growing narrative that has gained prominence due to Apple’s lack of a clear timeline for AI integration in its devices. The company was slated to introduce AI features in its devices starting in October 2024. However, at its World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) in 2025, Apple acknowledged that the original version of its AI failed to meet its high standards.  The company then partnered with OpenAI as a way to deliver powerful AI features, while continuing to build its internal capabilities.

Under its agreement with OpenAI, Apple integrated ChatGPT into experiences within iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. However, for critics, the deal and lack of further AI partner announcements, outside of ChatGPT, are hints of a strategic drag.

Apple is reportedly in talks to use Google’s Gemini to revamp the Siri voice assistant. The company also discussed potential tie-ups with Anthropic and OpenAI, considering whether Claude or ChatGPT could power a revamped Siri. However, nothing concrete has emerged from these discussions, and it may be behind the competitors, like xAI’s reasoning, that Apple may be favoring OpenAI.

Adding fuel to the fire is the structure of the deal between Apple and OpenAI. The iPhone-maker does not pay OpenAI for the integration of its AI chatbot into its devices. Integration with Apple devices allows OpenAI to reach millions of users, which it believes would drive up subscriptions.

So, while Musk’s allegation may stem from Apple’s deal with OpenAI and its structure. Having a level playing field may not not the only motivation. Musk is known to feud with established companies, often raising public pressure and muddying the playing field for rivals.

Musk’s history of legal battles

Since mid-2023, Musk and his companies have initiated at least 23 federal lawsuits, taking on everyone from competitors and regulators to advertisers and ex-employees. Musk has previously criticised Apple over App Store fees, which he called a “tax on the Internet.”

His fraught relationship with OpenAI runs deeper. Musk co-founded the company in 2015 as a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring AI benefited humanity. He left the board in 2018, citing conflicts with Tesla’s AI ambitions. Since then, he has accused OpenAI of betraying its mission, even suing the company and CEO Sam Altman for prioritizing profits. OpenAI countered by releasing emails showing Musk once supported its shift to a for-profit model.

Ever since then, Musk has been a vocal critic of OpenAI. He even filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, alleging breach of contract and mission drift, arguing that the company now prioritizes profits over openness. Musk went on to launch xAI as a direct competitor to OpenAI.

The ChatGPT-maker denied Musk’s claims and released emails suggesting he once supported making OpenAI a for-profit entity to compete with Google. These clashes highlight Musk’s approach of filing lawsuits against rivals while launching rival companies. However, the recent lawsuit against Apple and OpenAI may be an attempt to ensure that channels through which AI tech makes its way to users is not controlled by a handful of device manufacturers like Apple, and at the core lies the belief that AI is not just an app, it’s part of a new kind of geopolitical infrastructure and could shape what users see, think, and say.

When Apple integrates ChatGPT deeply into its devices, it isn’t just offering convenience; it sets the terms for most users’ AI experiences. Musk fears that if a few companies control the path to advanced AI, the risk is less innovation and more control.

The lawsuit also adds pressure on Apple, whose App Store policies have repeatedly come under fire from app makers like Spotify and Epic Games. Apple was fined €1.8 billion over abusive App Store rules for music streaming providers. The company has since been forced to make changes to its policy. Musk’s lawsuit may force Apple to give similar concessions for AI app listings on its App Store.

Why these lawsuits matter for AI’s future

Musk’s lawsuits against Apple and OpenAI mark more than just another clash between tech titans; they underscore a fundamental battle over who controls the future of AI distribution. For decades, Apple has acted as a gatekeeper to the digital economy through its App Store, shaping which apps rise to the top and which remain buried. With AI, however, the stakes are far higher.

Musk’s lawsuit alleges the arrangement between Apple and OpenAI is less about innovation and more about control. Whether or not his lawsuit succeeds, it raises uncomfortable questions: Should a handful of companies decide which AI systems reach mass adoption? Should AI access be dictated by exclusive partnerships rather than open competition? These are not abstract concerns. Past instances when Microsoft’s bundling of Internet Explorer, in the 1990s, led to one of the biggest antitrust battles in tech underscore the importance of the lawsuit. The current legal battle is a reminder that the future of emerging technologies like AI is shaped not just by boardrooms but also through legal battles and app store ratings.

Quick Bits, No Fluff

• Anthropic settles lawsuit: The AI firm reached a deal with authors over using their books to train Claude, avoiding a courtroom showdown.

• Google Translate 2.0: A new AI-powered update improves language learning tools, aiming apps like Duolingo.

• Can AIs suffer?: Tech giants and ethicists wrestle with the eerie question of whether AI systems might one day feel pain.

Thursday Poll

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