Why Elon Musk Is Waging an AI War on Apple, OpenAI, and Microsoft

For everyone I have offended, I want to say I have reinvented the electric car and will send humanity to Mars with rockets—can a calm, ordinary person still achieve this?

01

Recent Turmoil: The "Three Heroes vs. Lü Bu" of the AI Era

From 2024 to 2025, Elon Musk again stirred the global tech scene, targeting AI giants Apple, OpenAI, and Microsoft in a dramatic showdown that adds tension to the AI race.

1. Targeting Apple and OpenAI: Antitrust Fury

Musk's AI startup xAI and the X platform sued Apple and OpenAI in the Northern District Court of Texas, accusing them of colluding to maintain monopolies in smartphones and generative‑AI markets. The complaint alleges Apple suppresses xAI’s Grok in the App Store while favoring OpenAI’s ChatGPT, thereby violating antitrust law.

The lawsuit follows Musk’s repeated public attacks on Apple, claiming its App Store policies hinder AI competitors. OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman has rebutted, suggesting Musk’s motives are commercially driven.

The conflict stems from Musk’s long‑standing feud with OpenAI, which he co‑founded in 2015 but left in 2018 over strategic disagreements. He now accuses OpenAI of betraying its original mission to benefit humanity.

2. Launching “Macrohard”: A Direct Challenge to Microsoft

On 22 August 2025, Musk announced a new company named “Macrohard,” a tongue‑in‑cheek jab at Microsoft, aiming to use AI to undermine Microsoft’s software business. Musk plans to create hundreds of specialized AI agents that simulate human interaction with tools like Office, directly confronting Microsoft’s dominance.

The idea follows a major Microsoft outage in July 2024, which Musk previously mocked. xAI has filed a trademark for “Macrohard,” covering AI‑generated speech, text, and software for games, signaling ambitious intent.

3. Seeking a Meta Alliance Against Microsoft and OpenAI

Musk reportedly tried to enlist Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a $97.4 billion acquisition of OpenAI, despite past rivalries between the two leaders. Both companies are heavily investing in AI talent, and Musk’s moves reflect a broader struggle for control over AI’s future.

02

The Love‑Hate Entanglements Among Tech Giants

1. Musk vs. Apple: From Rejected Acquisition to Antitrust Lawsuit

In 2018, Musk attempted to sell Tesla to Apple, but Tim Cook rejected the meeting. Since then, Musk has criticized Apple’s high App Store fees and alleged bias toward OpenAI, culminating in the current antitrust suit.

2. Musk vs. OpenAI: From Shared Ideals to Breakup

Musk co‑founded OpenAI in 2015 to ensure AI benefits all humanity, contributing tens of millions of dollars. After OpenAI shifted toward commercialization and partnered with Microsoft, Musk accused it of abandoning its open‑source mission and sued to restore openness.

3. Musk vs. Microsoft: Long‑Term Competition and the “Macrohard” Counterattack

Musk’s rivalry with Microsoft intensified as Microsoft invested heavily in OpenAI, gaining a leading AI position. “Macrohard” is designed to use AI to replicate and replace Microsoft’s software ecosystem, challenging its monopoly.

03

Why Is Musk So Aggressive?

Musk’s confrontational behavior stems from his unique personality, visionary idealism, and a relentless drive to advance humanity through disruptive technologies. He despises monopolistic practices, which explains his lawsuits against Apple and OpenAI and the creation of “Macrohard” to confront Microsoft.

His “first‑principles” thinking pushes him to challenge established rules, while his concern over AI’s future motivates him to control its direction, even if it means opposing industry giants.

04

Conclusion

The AI landscape from 2024‑2025 remains volatile, with Musk’s actions adding uncertainty and tension. His aggressive stance against Apple, OpenAI, and Microsoft reflects a broader struggle over AI governance, competition, and the future of technology.

References:

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[2] Elon Musk’s xAI sues Apple and OpenAI for alleged monopoly (2025). Retrieved from https://cn.wsj.com/articles/elon-musks-xai-sues-apple-openai-alleging-monopolists-thwart-ai-competition-59dac5d7

[3] OpenAI – Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hans/OpenAI

[4] How OpenAI was bought for $1 billion? (2021). Retrieved from https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/408174622

[5] OpenAI’s trillion‑dollar news (2024). Retrieved from https://www.stcn.com/article/detail/1339588.html

[6] Who owns OpenAI? (2024). Retrieved from https://carvao.substack.com/p/who-owns-openai

[7] OpenAI CEO slams Musk as bully (2024). Retrieved from https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20241226A07L3E00

[8] DeepSeek vs. OpenAI: Global AI order (2025). Retrieved from https://www.hkubs.hku.hk/sc/research/thought-leadership/hkej-column/deepseek%E8%88%87openai%E7%9A%84%E6%94%BB%E9%98%B2%E6%88%B0%E5%88%9B%E5%BB%BA%E5%85%A8%E7%90%86%E5%85%B1%E5%90%8C%E6%96%B0%E7%A7%A9%E5%BA%8F/

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[13] Elon Musk accuses Apple and OpenAI of stifling AI (2025). Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/elon-musk-apple-openai-antitrust-lawsuit/

[14] Musk officially sues Apple and OpenAI (2025). Retrieved from https://finance.sina.cn/stock/jdts/2025-08-26/detail-infnhksk1744294.d.html

[15] Musk sues OpenAI and Apple (2025). Retrieved from https://www.6park.com/view/news/742298.html

[16] Musk’s lawsuit against Apple and OpenAI (2025). Retrieved from https://www.pingwest.com/w/307098

[17] 80% of Musk lawsuit is noise (2025). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqm20xWoNV8

[18] Breaking news about Musk (2025). Retrieved from https://www.stcn.com/article/detail/3256168.html

[19] What is Llama? Meta’s open‑source LLM (2025). Retrieved from https://www.leadadds.com/zh/learning-centre/what-is-llama/

[20] Llama open‑source: Meta’s strategy (2025). Retrieved from https://docs.feishu.cn/v/wiki/UPpPw1Q9QidG4kkT9mLcGHqSnle/a3

[21] xAI opens Grok 2.5, announces Grok 3 (2025). Retrieved from https://tw.news.yahoo.com/xai-has-open-sourced-grok-2-5-and-elon-musk-has-announced-that-grok-3-will-follow-within-the-next-six-months-140432447.html

[22] Analysis of Grok 2.5 open‑source reasons (2025). Retrieved from https://vocus.cc/article/68955aa9fd89780001fd1f2f

[23] Why Chinese companies are xAI’s strongest rivals (2025). Retrieved from https://www.mkcloud.net/index.php/knowledgebase/51/%E9%A9%AC%E6%96%AF%E5%85%8B%E5%BC%80%E6%BA%90Grok-2.5%E4%B8%BA%E4%BD%95%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E5%85%AC%E5%8F%B8%E6%88%90%E4%BA%86xAI%E6%9C%80%E5%BC%BA%E5%AF%B9%E6%89%8B.html

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[25] Musk’s plan to acquire OpenAI with Zuckerberg (2025). Retrieved from https://hub.baai.ac.cn/view/48361