{"slug": "musks-x-corp-and-spacexai-drop-apple-from-antitrust-case-openai-fight-continues", "title": "Musk’s X Corp and SpaceXAI Drop Apple From Antitrust Case, OpenAI Fight Continues", "summary": "Elon Musk's X Corp. and SpaceXAI filed a motion in federal court in Texas to dismiss their antitrust claims against Apple with prejudice, resolving that portion of a lawsuit that accused the iPhone maker of helping OpenAI limit competition in smartphones and generative AI; Apple does not oppose the request. OpenAI remains a defendant, and in a separate filing Monday it said it was not involved in the Apple agreement and asked X to disclose its terms, arguing they could affect the remaining case. Apple has denied wrongdoing, saying \"Choosing one partner first is not unlawful.", "body_md": "Musk’s AI empire just took Apple off the legal hit list, but OpenAI is still in the crosshairs.\n\nElon Musk’s X Corp. and SpaceXAI have moved to dismiss their antitrust claims against Apple, ending one side of a lawsuit that accused the iPhone maker of helping OpenAI limit competition in smartphones and generative AI.\n\nThe companies filed the motion in federal court in Texas, asking to dismiss their claims against Apple with prejudice, meaning they would not be able to bring the same claims against Apple again. Apple does not oppose the request, [according to the filing](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.txnd.408471/gov.uscourts.txnd.408471.385.0.pdf).\n\nThe filing did not explain why Musk’s companies decided to drop the claims or say whether the parties had reached a settlement. The filing simply says the claims against Apple have been resolved.\n\n## OpenAI fight continues\n\nApple is leaving the case, but OpenAI remains a defendant. The original lawsuit accused Apple of violating antitrust law by integrating [OpenAI’s ChatGPT](https://www.techrepublic.com/article/news-openai-chatgpt-images-2-5-sketch-editing/) into [Apple Intelligence features](https://www.techrepublic.com/article/news-apple-intelligence-cheat-sheet/) on iPhones and other devices. Musk’s companies argued that the arrangement gave ChatGPT an advantage over rival AI services, including Musk’s Grok.\n\nApple has denied wrongdoing and previously argued that its integration with OpenAI was not exclusive. [GlobalData quoted Apple as saying](https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/musk-x-corp-spacexai-drop-092603905.html), “Choosing one partner first is not unlawful,” while noting that other chatbot services remain available through Apple’s ecosystem.\n\nOpenAI has also rejected the allegations. In a separate court filing Monday, it said it was not involved in the agreement between Apple and Musk’s companies and did not know its terms. OpenAI asked X to disclose the agreement, arguing that it could affect the remaining case and its defense, according to [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/world/musks-x-corp-spacexai-resolve-antitrust-lawsuit-against-apple-2026-09-14/).\n\n## What changes for the AI market\n\nThe dismissal would narrow the lawsuit, but it would not eliminate the broader competition question behind it: how much influence do major platforms have over [which AI assistants reach consumers](https://www.techrepublic.com/article/best-ai-personal-assistant/)?\n\nApple controls [one of the world’s largest mobile ecosystems](https://www.techrepublic.com/article/news-apple-ios-eu-court-ruling-emea/), making integrations inside the iPhone potentially valuable distribution channels for AI companies. Musk’s companies had argued that ChatGPT’s place inside Apple Intelligence disadvantaged competing services such as Grok.\n\nWith the Apple claims being dismissed, that particular allegation against the iPhone maker would no longer be tested through this lawsuit. The remaining litigation instead shifts more attention toward the claims against OpenAI.\n\n### What's hot at TechRepublic\n\n## The unanswered question\n\nThe immediate question is whether the court grants the requested dismissal and whether any details of the agreement between Apple and Musk’s companies become public.\n\nOpenAI has asked for that agreement to be disclosed, arguing that its terms could affect the remaining litigation and its defense. If the court requires disclosure, the filing could reveal more about why the Apple portion of the dispute ended.\n\nFor now, the case is becoming narrower rather than disappearing. Apple appears headed out of the dispute, while the antitrust claims involving OpenAI remain unresolved — shifting the legal focus away from Apple’s control of the iPhone ecosystem and toward the allegations against one of the biggest companies in generative AI.\n\n**Other news:** **iPhone 18 Pro prices vary sharply across Southeast Asia****, with the Philippines charging the most for the 256GB Pro and Singapore topping the Pro Max comparison, while Malaysia is the cheapest of five markets analyzed.**", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/musks-x-corp-and-spacexai-drop-apple-from-antitrust-case-openai-fight-continues", "canonical_source": "https://www.techrepublic.com/article/news-musk-apple-openai-ai-antitrust-lawsuit/", "published_at": "2026-09-16 13:35:28+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-16 16:43:04.277753+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy", "artificial-intelligence", "generative-ai", "ai-products"], "entities": ["Elon Musk", "X Corp.", "SpaceXAI", "Apple", "OpenAI", "ChatGPT", "Apple Intelligence", "Grok"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/musks-x-corp-and-spacexai-drop-apple-from-antitrust-case-openai-fight-continues", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/musks-x-corp-and-spacexai-drop-apple-from-antitrust-case-openai-fight-continues.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/musks-x-corp-and-spacexai-drop-apple-from-antitrust-case-openai-fight-continues.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/musks-x-corp-and-spacexai-drop-apple-from-antitrust-case-openai-fight-continues.jsonld"}}