Elon Musk has ended his legal battle with Apple regarding the tech giant's decision to integrate ChatGPT into iPhone features. Musk filed a court document on Monday confirming that he has resolved all claims against Apple.
When Apple and OpenAI announced their partnership in 2024, Musk criticized the move as an agreement allowing OpenAI to install creepy spyware on user devices. He filed a lawsuit the following year alleging the collaboration created an illegal monopoly on AI prompts that harmed market competition.
Musk previously claimed last August that Apple deliberately blocked his chatbot Grok from reaching the top of the App Store rankings. Monday's court filing did not reveal any negotiated settlement terms or explain why X chose a voluntary dismissal. Musk agreed never to raise these claims against Apple again.
However, Musk refused to drop the identical claims against OpenAI. He plans to proceed with arguments that OpenAI used the non-exclusive Apple agreement to monopolize the chatbot market.
OpenAI previously characterized the lawsuit as an effort by Musk to harass the company while his rival firm, SpaceXAI, attempts to catch up. OpenAI noted that Musk estimated the foreclosed chatbot market share at anywhere from zero to 55 percent using informal calculations.
OpenAI has denied any antitrust violations while expressing frustration with the Apple partnership. An anonymous OpenAI executive told Bloomberg in May that the firm felt burned because Apple designed the integration in a way that made ChatGPT difficult to discover. OpenAI had expected billions of dollars in annual subscriptions and considered legal action as renegotiation efforts stalled.
Musk previously lost a separate lawsuit earlier this year accusing OpenAI of abandoning its nonprofit mission. A jury unanimously ruled that Musk waited too long to file that action.
Both Apple and OpenAI previously argued that Musk lacked standing to sue because none of his companies manufacture smartphones. Apple warned that a victory for Musk would set a dangerous precedent by criminalizing ordinary supplier agreements.
A court ordered Apple this summer to turn over internal employee messages discussing the OpenAI deal to Musk's companies. This newly acquired evidence may help Musk refine his market foreclosure calculations.
The narrowed antitrust litigation is scheduled to head to trial this fall.
