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Musk firms sue Apple and OpenAI, alleging they hurt competition
Getty ImagesTwo Elon Musk-backed businesses have officially sued Apple and OpenAI, accusing them of joining forces illegally to block threats from potential competitors.
The lawsuit, filed in the US by X and xAI, takes aim at Apple’s decision to integrate OpenAI’s chatbot into the operating systems of its smartphones, an exclusive arrangement that it says violated competition law.
The filing makes good on a threat Musk had lobbed against the two tech giants earlier this month, when he alleged that Apple favoured OpenAI in its app store rankings.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while OpenAI said the filing was “consistent with Mr Musk’s ongoing pattern of harassment”.
Musk and OpenAI’s Sam Altman founded OpenAI together in 2015.
But the two have since become bitter rivals, with Mr Musk accusing Mr Altman of leading OpenAI too far from its founding in the name of public good.
Their fights have intensified as Musk has launched his own AI firms, including xAI and Grok, a chatbot alternative.
In the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Texas, Musk’s firms claim “there is no valid business reason for the Apple-OpenAI deal to be exclusive” – arguing that the 2024 arrangement has made it harder to compete and gave OpenAI access to the prompts and activity of millions of Apple customers.
It says the deal also gave the ChatGPT app an edge in the App store, “boosting its downloads relative to other generative AI chatbots”.
“The Apple-OpenAI arrangement has foreclosed competition among generative AI chatbots, deprived competing generative AI chatbots of scale, and reduced quality and innovation,” the two companies said in the lawsuit. “All of these impacts have, in turn, helped OpenAI and Apple maintain their monopolies.”
OpenAI controls roughly 80% of the generative AI chatbot market in the US, according to the lawsuit, while Apple claims about 65% of the smartphone market.
Its tie-ups with other tech giants and app store practices have been the subject of numerous legal battles, including a high-profile anti-monopoly lawsuit against Google.
Apple has previously defended its app store practices, saying they were “fair and free of bias”. Several ChatGPT rivals such as DeepSeek and Perplexity have topped the App Store charts at various points since 2024.
The company was also recently reported to be in talks with Google over using the company’s Gemini chatbot to help power its voice assistant, Siri.
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Gold is sold at a discount in Dubai due to Middle East conflict disrupting flights. Traders offer up to $30 per ounce less than London prices.
Dubai Gold Selling Cheaper As Iran War Grounds Flights
Gold is being sold at a discount in Dubai as the widening conflict in the Middle East disrupts flights and hampers the movement of bullion from one of the world’s key trading hubs.
According to a Bloomberg report, traders in Dubai are offering discounts of up to $30 per ounce compared to the global benchmark price in London. The unusual price cut comes as shipments remain stranded due to flight disruptions triggered by the escalating conflict involving Iran and Israel.
Dubai is a key global centre for refining and exporting gold to markets across Asia, including India. However, partial airspace restrictions and heightened security risks have slowed the movement of bullion out of the region.
Why Gold Is Being Sold Cheaper
Gold is typically transported in the cargo holds of passenger aircraft. With several flights from the UAE restricted amid regional tensions, traders are struggling to move bullion to international markets.
At the same time, insurance and freight costs have surged, making shipments more expensive and uncertain. Many buyers have therefore stepped back from placing new orders, unwilling to bear high logistics costs without assurance of timely delivery.
To avoid paying prolonged storage and financing costs while shipments remain stuck, some traders are offering gold at discounted prices.
Although transporting bullion by road to airports in neighbouring countries such as Saudi Arabia or Oman is theoretically possible, logistics firms are reluctant due to the risks and complications of moving high-value cargo across land borders during a conflict.
What It Means For India
India, one of the largest buyers of gold shipped from Dubai, could face short-term supply disruptions if the situation continues.
Renisha Chainani, head of research at Augmont Enterprises Ltd., said several cargo shipments have already been delayed, creating temporary tightness in the availability of physical bullion in India.
However, industry experts as reported by Bloomberg say the immediate impact may remain limited as domestic inventories are currently comfortable after heavy imports earlier this year.
Chirag Sheth, principal consultant for South Asia at Metals Focus, said Bloomberg that India has ample stocks for now, but warned that prolonged disruptions could eventually affect supply if the conflict continues for several months.
Meanwhile, global gold prices have surged this year amid geopolitical uncertainty, with spot gold recently trading above $5,000 per ounce.
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March 08, 2026, 10:03 IST
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Some seven in 10 British adults without a full driving licence say learning to drive is currently unaffordable, according to a survey.
The figure is even higher among younger people, with 76% of 18 to 29-year-olds without a licence saying driving lessons are financially out of reach, the poll for car insurer Prima found.
Overall, 38% said the cost of driving lessons was the biggest deterrent to learning to drive.
Some 32% were put off by the price of buying a car and 15% said the cost of car insurance was the main barrier to learning to drive.
Almost half (45%) said they would consider learning to drive if it became significantly cheaper.
Nick Ielpo, UK country manager at Prima, said: “For a growing number of people, driving is no longer a symbol of freedom – it’s a financial stretch too far.
“Between lessons, buying a car and insuring it, the upfront and ongoing costs are pricing many people out before they even start.”
Find Out Now surveyed 1,134 adults who do not hold a full driving licence between January 21 and 23.
Go Digit General Insurance on Saturday said it has received a demand notice of about Rs 170 crore for short payment of goods and services tax (GST) for nearly five years. The company has received an order copy from the Office of the Commissioner of GST & Central Excise, Chennai South Commissionerate on March 6, confirming GST demand of Rs 154.80 crore levying penalty of Rs 15.48 crore and Interest u/s 50 of CGST Act, 2017 for the period July 2017 to March 2022, the insurer said in a regulatory filing. The company is in the process of evaluating the legal advice on the implications and would file an appeal, it said.
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