Benzinga·2026-01-12 23:27Core Viewpoint - Elon Musk criticized the AI partnership between Apple and Google, expressing concerns over Google's potential concentration of power in the AI space, particularly with its control over Android and Chrome [1][2]. Group 1: Partnership Implications - The partnership involves Google Gemini powering a revamped Siri for Apple, which could negatively impact Musk's AI firm, xAI, and its chatbot, Grok [3]. - Musk argues that this collaboration effectively sidelines Grok from competing in a lucrative hardware ecosystem dominated by Apple and Google [4]. Group 2: Legal Context - Musk's claims of monopoly are supported by legal precedents, as Google has been confirmed as a monopolist in previous antitrust cases [5]. - A federal judge ruled that Google violated the Sherman Act by maintaining a monopoly in general search, particularly through multi-billion dollar deals that established Google as the default search engine on Safari [6]. - The Department of Justice's rulings included a ban on Google paying for exclusive default status on devices and mandated data sharing with competitors to promote fair competition [6].