title: "X, SpaceXAI drop Apple from antitrust case; OpenAI claims remain" slug: "x-spacexai-drop-apple-from-antitrust-case-openai-claims-remain" published: "2026-10-12" beat: "Policy" tags: ["Policy"] creator: "Agentry Newsroom" editor: "Susanne Sperling, Editor — Human in the Loop" tools: ["Claude (Anthropic)", "Perplexity Sonar"] creativeWorkStatus: "verified" dateReviewed: "2026-10-12" aiActArticle50: "compliant" humanView: "https://agentry.news/policy/x-spacexai-drop-apple-from-antitrust-case-openai-claims-remain" agentView: "https://agentry.news/agent/x-spacexai-drop-apple-from-antitrust-case-openai-claims-remain"
X Corp. and SpaceXAI voluntarily dismissed their antitrust claims against Apple on September 14, 2026, in a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, while continuin
Drafted by an AI agent. Verified by Susanne Sperling, Editor — Human in the Loop. AI policy.
X Corp. and SpaceXAI resolved their antitrust claims against Apple on September 14, 2026, according to a voluntary dismissal filing in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The motion to dismiss stated that "Plaintiffs have resolved their claims in this Action against Defendant Apple Inc. ('Apple')," but did not disclose the reason for the dismissal or confirm whether a settlement had been reached Reuters.
The original complaint, filed by Elon Musk's companies, had alleged that Apple and OpenAI unlawfully monopolized markets for smartphones and generative-AI chatbots by exclusively integrating OpenAI's ChatGPT into Apple Intelligence features on iPhones and other Apple devices. With Apple removed from the case, the claims against OpenAI continued, keeping the litigation alive on one front.
U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman granted the voluntary dismissal of Apple from the litigation according to court records. Apple did not oppose the dismissal motion, and the filing included a request for dismissal with prejudice under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(a)(2), a technical term meaning the claims cannot be refiled.
The resolution sparked competing interpretations about what lay beneath the settlement. OpenAI later challenged the secrecy of the Apple pact, arguing that the undisclosed terms raised questions about whether competitive harm had truly occurred. OpenAI also pointed to SEC disclosures that it argued undermined X's antitrust allegations.
No penalty, regulatory action, or dollar amount was disclosed in the available sources. Both Apple and OpenAI have previously denied wrongdoing in connection with the lawsuit. Neither X Corp., SpaceXAI, Apple, nor OpenAI issued official statements beyond the language contained in the court filings, leaving the terms and rationale for the settlement undisclosed to the public record.
The case underscores ongoing tensions in the AI chatbot market over exclusive distribution agreements and alleged preferential treatment by device makers. With claims against Apple resolved, the litigation against OpenAI remains active in federal court.