Elon Musk said he had a “good conversation”with Apple CEO Tim Cook and a “misunderstanding resolved”over his claim that Twitter could be removed from the App Store, just days after the richest man in the world erupted in a tirade against the most valuable technology. Company.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Musk said “Tim made it clear that Apple never considered”removing Twitter from the App Store, calling it a “misunderstanding.”
Musk, who bought Twitter for $44 billion last month, also thanked Cook for “introducing me to the beautiful Apple headquarters”and posted a video from Apple Park.
That changed after the billionaire entrepreneur accused Apple on Monday of threatening to “take Twitter off its App Store”without giving a reason, and criticized the iPhone maker for restricting ads on the platform, writing: “They hate free speech in America??»
The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX has also raised concerns about Apple’s “in-app purchases”policy, which gives it a 15-30 percent reduction in digital purchases made on the iPhone, and claims the company is abusing its market power.
Musk previously outlined plans to move Twitter from ad revenue, which Apple doesn’t get, to more subscription revenue, from which Apple will get a cut.
Apple declined to comment.
The apparent reconciliation comes amid growing concerns from some nonprofits and regulators that Musk is loosening control over content moderation on Twitter. Musk, a self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist,”is lifting most of the platform’s permanent bans and allowing any speech as long as it’s legal, though “negative/hate speech”will not be encouraged in user channels.
This approach has prompted dozens of major brands to cut costs on the platform due to concerns that their ads could be placed next to toxic content.
In a blog post on Wednesday, Twitter said none of its policies have changed and that its trust and security team remains “strong and well-resourced.”
Apple adheres to guidelines requiring social media apps to “block abusive users”, allow users to “report inappropriate content”and filter out “unwanted content from posting”.
When Apple excluded Parler, a Twitter competitor used by right-wing extremists, Apple said it “failed in its obligation to moderate and remove harmful or dangerous content that encourages violence and illegal activity.”
While the feud appears to be over for now, Musk’s tweets have catalyzed new criticism of Apple that could prove devastating as antitrust regulators and app developers raise concerns about her rules and the role she plays as a “gatekeeper”in deciding what content is allowed on over 1 billion phones worldwide.
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis warned Apple that removing Twitter from the App Store would be seen as “a gross display of monopolistic power”and “deserves a reaction from the US Congress.”
Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Meta, the parent company of Facebook, was also critical of Apple’s bargaining power during an interview at The New York Times Dealbook Summit on Wednesday, saying, “I really think Apple is positioning itself as the only company that is trying to unilaterally control, what apps are getting on [Apple’s] device and I don’t think it’s a sustainable or good place.”
Apple has been facing criticism of the App Store for years. Epic Games, creator of the popular mobile game Fortnite, sued Apple in 2020 but only won one out of 10 points. Epic and Apple have appealed the decision.