New Delhi, Aug 13
Tech giant Apple has denied any foul play, insisting its platform is “fair and free of bias" after Tesla and SpaceX owner Elon Musk accused the iPhone maker of favouritism in App Store rankings.
Musk had claimed that that OpenAI’s ChatGPT ranks first because of Apple’s favouritism, while his apps, X and xAI’s Grok, are being sidelined.
Apple denied allegations that its App Store algorithms or curated lists favour ChatGPT over Musk’s offerings. “The App Store is designed to be fair and free of bias,” the company insisted, adding that recommendations are based on charts, algorithms, and expert editorial curation using objective criteria, according to multiple media reports.
“Our goal is to offer safe discovery for users and valuable opportunities for developers, collaborating with many to increase app visibility in rapidly evolving categories,” the company’s statement continued.
Musk on X criticised Apple for allegedly making it “impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1.”
He claimed that although X led the News chart and Grok received major updates, including making Grok 4 free for all users, his chatbot only reached fifth overall and second in the Productivity category.