Judge keeps X, xAI antitrust case against Apple, OpenAI in Texas

A federal judge has ruled that the antitrust lawsuit by X and xAI against Apple and OpenAI will remain in Fort Worth, Texas.

Judge Mark Pittman noted that the companies have minimal ties to the area, and sarcastically suggested they move their headquarters there if they want the case heard in Fort Worth.

X and xAI, both owned by Elon Musk, filed the suit in August, accusing Apple and OpenAI of working to maintain monopolies in AI markets.

X is based in Bastrop, Texas, while Apple and OpenAI are headquartered in California.

Pittman highlighted that neither Apple nor OpenAI requested to move the case before the court’s deadline.

He commented that the only local connections were Apple’s retail stores, and OpenAI’s nationwide service.

The judge acknowledged that existing legal standards limited his ability to transfer the case elsewhere, despite concerns about forum-shopping.

🔗 Source: CNBC

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

The antitrust complaint omits procedural facts investors need to assess case merit

Filed August 25, 2025; trial set October 19, 2026, leaving over a year for discovery (evidence exchange) and pretrial motions 1.
Apple and OpenAI moved to dismiss on September 30, 2025, arguing the complaint fails to state a claim, which could end the case pretrial 1.
Venue stays with Judge Pittman, a Trump appointee who criticized forum-shopping (picking a court thought to be favorable); 5th Circuit precedent limits transfers; neither defendant sought transfer by the October 9 deadline 2.
Schedule runs through late 2026. It covers joinder of parties (adding new parties); amended pleadings; mediation (settlement discussions); discovery; and pretrial motions 1.

App Store search audits could help AI app developers spot ranking bias and tune user acquisition spend

The lawsuit alleges App Store favoritism toward ChatGPT, prompting App Store Optimization (ASO) firms, marketing specialists who improve app visibility, to offer ranking audits (third-party analyses) across chatbot keywords to test deprioritization like xAI alleges against Grok 2.
AI app developers outside the case can use audit data to shift paid user acquisition budgets (marketing spend for installs) toward keywords where organic rankings may be suppressed 3. Examples include Character AI (chatbot app with AI personas; 22 million monthly active users) and Talkie AI (voice-based AI companion app).
Data analytics vendors can build tools that track App Store ranking shifts for AI apps, then link those moves to Apple’s algorithm updates (changes to how rankings are calculated) 4.