Elon Musk is stirring the pot again this time with some very difficult questions for Apple.

Elon Musk is stirring the pot again — and this time, Apple’s in the crosshairs.

Musk claims X is now the #1 news app globally, and his AI chatbot Grok is sitting at #5 among all apps. Yet, neither is featured in Apple’s coveted “Must Have” section of the App Store.

That section isn’t an algorithmic ranking — it’s handpicked by Apple’s editorial team. Which raises the question: if the #1 and #5 apps aren’t in there, what’s the real selection criteria?

Is Apple quietly protecting its brand image by keeping controversial figures and platforms off the list? Is this about politics? Or is it simply how App Store curation has always worked? The truth is, when companies like Apple hold this much influence over what billions of people see, the line between “editorial choice” and “business strategy” starts to blur.

And this isn’t just about Musk or X. It’s about whether tech giants — who act as the gatekeepers of the digital economy — have an ethical responsibility to make these processes transparent. When you control the world’s most valuable digital storefront, should personal bias or political considerations ever play a role?

Because here’s the thing: if being the top-ranked app in your category isn’t enough to secure a spot in “Must Have,” then maybe “Must Have” isn’t about the must-have apps at all. Maybe it’s about the must-have image Apple wants to project.

The bigger question for every business leader, entrepreneur, and innovator is this: if your growth can be stalled or your reach throttled simply because you don’t align with a curator’s values, how do you build a business in that environment? Is that just competition — or quiet censorship in disguise?

One thing’s for sure — this conversation is going to get louder. And how Apple responds (or doesn’t) could set a precedent for the future of app discovery.