Elon Musk floated the possibility of creating an Amazon rival on October 15, but stopped well short of announcing a company or product. “Maybe we should start a competitor to Amazon,” Musk wrote on X.
The comment came in a quote-post of a user who said Amazon was blocking Grok bots from placing orders and suggested an “X Shop.” Moneywise reported that neither Musk nor Amazon responded to its request for comment. The Grok-specific restriction therefore remains a user-reported claim rather than an action confirmed by Amazon.
Grok Bots are personal AI agents designed to carry out tasks across apps, including shopping. In a separate post described by Moneywise, Grok said there were no confirmed plans or timeline for a full Amazon competitor and that its agents could continue looking for products elsewhere.
Amazon’s wider fight with shopping agents
The dispute is part of a broader question over whether third-party AI agents can shop on major retail platforms. Moneywise reported that Amazon has also blocked other agents, including Meta’s Muse, from accessing its store.
Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham argued that Amazon’s restrictions could create an opening for a rival. He said shoppers will increasingly want independent agents to make purchases for them rather than relying on one supplied by Amazon. Musk had previously responded “Seriously” to Graham’s argument, according to Moneywise.
