Elon Musk's companies ordered to explain why they dropped antitrust claims against Apple

The federal judge overseeing an antitrust case by Elon Musk’s companies against Apple and OpenAI is demanding to see any settlement agreements that may have led X Corp and SpaceXAI on Tuesday to drop their claims against Apple, POLITICO reported.

Judge Mark Pittman, a conservative Trump appointee based in Fort Worth, Texas, ordered the Musk-owned businesses on Wednesday to produce for his review any agreements with Apple related to the decision to dismiss its claims against the company.

Pittman’s ruling comes after OpenAI moved to compel X to disclose information about its resolution with Apple in the dispute over dominance of the potentially trillion-dollar artificial intelligence market.

The motion to voluntarily dismiss the claims was filed without any explanation, and noted that X and SpaceXAI will continue to pursue antitrust claims against OpenAI.

The lawsuit alleges that Apple and OpenAI are “two monopolists joining forces to ensure their continued dominance” in the AI market, including via alleged manipulation of Apple’s app store rankings.

The complaint also points to an exclusive 2024 deal to integrate OpenAI’s ChatGPT into Apple’s popular iPhone.

Apple has reportedly signed a new agreement this year to integrate Google’s AI services into its products.

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