Craig Federighi added to Elon Musk lawsuit over Apple–OpenAI dealings

Elon Musk’s xAI has pulled Apple software chief Craig Federighi into discovery in its antitrust case against Apple and OpenAI, while Apple CEO Tim Cook was spared. A U.S. court order this week added Federighi as a document custodian, requiring Apple to collect and produce records tied to his role in software and Apple Intelligence decisions. The order leaves intact Musk’s broader claim that Apple and OpenAI structured their partnership in ways that disadvantaged rivals such as Grok and X, allegations Apple has denied. (moneycontrol.com) The same ruling rejected xAI’s bid to make Cook part of that discovery process. ### Why is Craig Federighi in this case at all? Craig Federighi was added because the court found his job put him close enough to the issues xAI says matter in the case. Moneycontrol, citing the court filing, reported that U.S. Magistrate Judge Hal R. Ray Jr. said xAI had shown enough reason to include Federighi based on his role as Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering and his involvement in Apple Intelligence and OpenAI integration decisions. Apple must produce relevant documents from Federighi by June 17, 2026. The discovery move does not make Federighi a defendant. (moneycontrol.com) A document custodian designation means Apple has to search his files, messages and other records for material responsive to discovery requests in the case, according to reports describing the order. ### Why did Tim Cook stay out? Tim Cook was not added because the judge found xAI had not shown that Apple’s chief executive held unique evidence unavailable from other sources. Moneycontrol reported that the court said plaintiffs failed to prove Cook possessed information beyond what could be obtained through Federighi and others. (moneycontrol.com) That split gives the clearest public line yet between Apple’s top corporate leadership and the executives handling the software work at issue in discovery. The order, as described by multiple reports, focuses on the people tied directly to product integration and internal decision-making rather than automatically reaching the chief executive. (9to5mac.com) ### What is Musk’s lawsuit actually accusing Apple and OpenAI of? xAI and X sued Apple and OpenAI in August 2025, alleging the companies engaged in an anticompetitive scheme tied to Apple’s OpenAI partnership and App Store treatment of rival AI products. CNBC reported that the complaint says Apple favored OpenAI in App Store rankings and deprioritized competitors such as X and Grok, while ABC News reported the suit also challenges the iPhone integration that brought OpenAI tools to Apple devices. (moneycontrol.com) Apple has denied bias in the App Store. CNBC reported that an Apple spokesperson previously said the store was designed to be “fair and free of bias,” and that Apple features thousands of apps using a variety of signals. (9to5mac.com) OpenAI, for its part, called Musk’s filing part of an “ongoing pattern of harassment,” according to CNBC. ### What else did the judge order? June 3, 2026, is the deadline for Musk to hand over emails from Tesla and SpaceX accounts as well as communications from text and XChat accounts, according to Moneycontrol’s description of the same ruling. The judge also denied some of xAI’s broader discovery requests, including a request for internal Apple documents about how the company uses AI internally, the report said. (cnbc.com) The court also narrowed a request related to Apple’s dealings with Google, while still ordering Apple to provide documents tied to possible exclusivity clauses involving AI providers on Apple devices, according to Moneycontrol. (cnbc.com) ### Does this change the posture of the case? May 15’s ruling changes discovery more than it changes the claims. The case still centers on xAI’s allegation that Apple’s OpenAI tie-up and App Store conduct harmed competition, and the judge’s order appears to widen the pool of Apple records xAI can seek without granting every request Musk’s side made. (moneycontrol.com) June 17, 2026, is the next Apple deadline visible from the reported order: that is when Federighi-related documents are due. Musk’s own production deadline comes earlier, on June 3, and both sides are still fighting over what records the court will force into the case. (moneycontrol.com)