In a series of tweets on Monday, Elon Musk claimed that Apple had threatened to remove Twitter from its app store without providing any explanation. He also claimed that the iPhone manufacturer had ceased running advertisements on the social networking site.
Apple has not confirmed the action, but it would not be out of the ordinary given that it regularly enforces its policies and has already deleted apps like Parler and Gab. Apple reinstated Parler in 2021 after the app changed its content and moderation procedures, the businesses claimed at the time. Parler is a favorite among U.S. conservatives.
Musk, who last month purchased Twitter for $44 billion, tweeted, "Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter. Do they hate free speech in America?"
In a subsequent post, he tagged Apple CEO Tim Cook's Twitter and questioned, "What's going on here?"
According to ad measurement company Pathmatics, the most valuable company in the world spent less money on Twitter advertisements between Nov. 10 and Nov. 16 than it did between Oct. 16 and Oct. 22, the week before Musk signed the Twitter transaction when it spent $220,800.
The up to 30% commission fee Apple charges software developers for in-app sales was one of the complaints Musk listed on Twitter. Musk posted a meme implying he was prepared to "go to war" with Apple rather than pay the commission. Companies like Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite, have criticized the fee and filed lawsuits against it, and it has garnered the attention of regulators all around the world.
The up to 30% commission fee Apple charges software developers for in-app sales was one of the complaints Musk listed on Twitter. Musk posted a meme implying he was prepared to "go to war" with Apple rather than pay the commission.
Companies like Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite, have criticized the fee and filed lawsuits against it, and it has garnered the attention of regulators all around the world.
The self-described free speech absolutist, whose business has reinstated multiple Twitter accounts, including former U.S. President Donald Trump's, in recent days, has accused activist groups of pressing advertisers. According to Ben Bajarin, the president of consumer technology at research firm Creative Strategies, Musk may be reading too much into a routine process Apple uses for in-app review.
"App review from Apple is not perfect by any means and a consistently frustrating process for developers but from what I hear it is a two-way conversation," he said.
