Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) and xAI, voiced criticism of the AI partnership between Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Alphabet, Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) announced on Monday.
- AAPL stock is climbing. See the chart and the price action here.
In a post on X replying to the News from Google account, Musk questioned the partnership as possibly allowing Google too much “power,” considering it owns the Android operating system and Chrome browser.
“This seems like an unreasonable concentration of power for Google, given that the[y] also have Android and Chrome,” Musk said.
‘Unreasonable’ Apple-Google Power Move
Musk’s frustration stems from the announcement that Google Gemini will power a revamped, personalized Siri for Apple Intelligence. It could be viewed as a significant blow to Musk’s AI firm, xAI, and its chatbot, Grok.
This is not the first time that Musk has taken issue with Apple’s AI partnerships. In August 2025, xAI filed a lawsuit against Apple and OpenAI, accusing them of forming an AI monopoly that deliberately excludes competitors.
Now that Apple has an AI deal with Google, the company has effectively partnered with Musk’s two biggest rivals — OpenAI and Google — leaving Grok on the outside of the world’s most lucrative hardware ecosystem.
When Musk points to Google’s control of Android and Chrome, it seems he is arguing that allowing Google to also infiltrate the iPhone via Gemini creates a platform dominance that no competitor can overcome.
Alphabet Antitrust History
Musk’s “monopoly” claims carry weight because, legally, Google is a confirmed monopolist. Here is a review of the landmark U.S. v. Google case outcomes:
- The Liability Ruling (Aug. 2024): A federal judge ruled that Google violated the Sherman Act by maintaining a monopoly in general search. The judge specifically targeted the multi-billion dollar deals (such as the $20 billion paid to Apple) that made Google the default search engine on Safari.
- The Remedy Ruling (Sept. 2025): The Department of Justice initially sought to break Google up by forcing the sale of Chrome or Android. However, the court reached a more moderate conclusion:
- No Breakup: The judge declined to force a divestiture of Chrome or Android, arguing that the rise of AI (ironically) was already shifting market dynamics.
- Ban on Exclusivity: Google is prohibited from paying for exclusive default status on any device.
- Data Sharing: Google must share its search index and user data with qualified competitors to level the playing field.
Musk could be attempting to leverage these legal findings to frame the Apple-Gemini deal as a backdoor way for Google to maintain the very dominance the courts just tried to curb.
While his concerns about “concentrated power” align with DOJ arguments, Musk’s motivation appears to be the survival of xAI in a market increasingly locked down by exclusive alliances.
Photo: Shutterstock
Recent Comments