Long before the takeover of Twitter by Elon Musk and his investors, the relationship between the American billionaire and Apple was already strained. Indeed, as CEO of Tesla, Musk has challenged Apple many times. And today, as the boss of Twitter, Elon Musk directly declares “war”.
Why is Elon Musk mad at Apple?
In one of his recent tweets, Elon Musk points out that Apple has joined the list of companies that have stopped buying ads on Twitter. However, it would seem that the Cupertino-based company is a very important advertiser for the network. social. According to a Washington Post article that would have had access to confidential documents, Apple would have spent 48 millions dollars for advertising on Twitter in the first quarter. This would make the Cupertino-based company the top advertiser for the network. social, and would bring in 4% of Twitter’s revenue for the quarter. In other words, pausing Apple ads (probably cause Musk’s recent decisions regarding moderation and suspended accounts) could have a big impact on Twitter’s finances. But that’s not all. Musk also accuses Apple of threatening to remove Twitter from the App Store without explanation.
Apple has also threatened to take Twitter out of their App Store, but won’t say us why — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022
Since yesterday, Twitter’s new owner, who calls himself a “free speech absolutist,” launched a series of posts defending his network management. social.
Elon Musk multiplies the number of tackles against Apple
In one of these tweets, he announces the upcoming publication of “Twitter Files”, documents to be opened grand public “crackdown on free speech” that took place on the platform. And he invites Apple to do the same.
Apple should publish any censorship actions taken that affect its customers — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022
Elsewhere, Musk criticizes Apple’s App Store moderation and the fact that the Cupertino-based company is sometimes accused of being opaque on the issue.
Who else has Apple censored? https://t.co/lZculFIkAX — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022
Another topic that Elon Musk recently discussed was the App Store commission. Recall that this is a commission from 15 to 30% that the company from Cupertino takes on transactions between users. apps and developers (for example, by paying for a subscription).
You know Apple puts secret 30% tax on everything that you buy through their app store? https://t.co/LGkPZ4EYcz — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022
Elon Musk declares war (then deletes)
In one of his recent posts, Musk even posted a meme that is a real declaration of “war”. The image indicates that Elon Musk would rather go to war than pay a 30% commission. However, for an unknown reason, this meme was removed.
Musk threatens war with Apple.https://t.co/vLIvulT2NY peak.twitter.com/ECW6eARxVg — Aaron Marcelineo (@AaronMarcelineo) November 29, 2022
Otherwise, it’s also worth noting that Elon Musk recently signaled that he could create an alternative to the iPhone and Android smartphones if necessary (if Twitter was removed from the Apple and Google app stores). However, as we explained in a recent article, breaking the duopoly of Apple and Google in operating systems mobile it would be a difficult task. Even with Elon Musk.