Elon Musk and Apple’s rivalry is underway

Advertisers are reportedly fleeing Twitter and employees are attacking tech giant Apple, whether they voluntarily fire or fire them.

Twitter — the platform of choice for Musk even before he signed a deal to buy the social media company for $44 billion — the CEO has criticized Apple and his allies over multiple issues, including advertising and the fees Apple charges developers. I called on Tim Cook, the CEO. app store.

The latest message follows a series of actions on Twitter, including plans to relaunch the Twitter Blue subscription service, which aims to check-mark real users.

Here’s everything you need to know about Musk’s latest comments about Apple.

What did Musk say about Apple?

It all started with Musk tweeting about Apple and advertising on Monday. “Apple has pretty much stopped advertising on his Twitter,” Musk writes. “Do they hate free speech in America?” Musk asked Apple CEO Tim Cook directly in another tweet.

Musk then claimed that Apple had threatened to withhold Twitter from the App Store, followed by another tweet criticizing the fees Apple charges developers to create apps for products such as the iPhone and iPad. .

How did Apple respond?

Apple did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment.

Republican lawmakers lash out at Apple

At a press conference in Jacksonville, Fla., Gov. Ron DeSantis defended Musk, saying Apple’s move to remove Twitter from the App Store would be a “huge mistake.”

“It would be a really raw exercise of monopoly power that I think deserves a response from the US Congress,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ohio Senator JD Vance tweeted on Monday that “no civilized country should allow Apple to remove Twitter from the App Store.”

New battle over Apple developer fees

This isn’t the first time Apple has faced backlash over the fees it charges app developers. In 2020, Facebook, which changed its company name to Meta, attacked Apple over what it called a “30% App Store tax” that developers have to pay.

Last year, Facebook said it would not receive a portion of revenue from creators on its platform until 2023.

Then there was a high-profile battle with Epic Games, creators of the hit video game Fortnite. His mobile version of the game was removed from the App Store after Epic introduced the option for players to purchase outside of Apple’s digital storefront.

Epic sued Apple over this decision. Last year, a federal judge ruled that Apple must allow developers to include links that offer payment options outside the App Store. However, the court did not conclude that Apple retained exclusive rights.

Epic appealed, alleging that Apple was engaging in monopolistic stifling competition.

Why are advertisers leaving Twitter?

Half of Twitter’s top 100 advertisers have stopped spending on the platform since Musk took over the company at the end of October, according to a report released last week by the liberal watchdog group Media Matters for America.

The 50 brands will have spent nearly $2 billion on advertising on the platform since 2020, the report said.

Advocacy groups have called on advertisers for the social media platform to withdraw its campaigns from Twitter. This is due to concerns about how social media platforms moderate content under Musk.

In a message to advertisers, Musk said Twitter could not be “a hell for everyone”.

Why Musk’s relationship with Apple matters

Apple reportedly spends a lot of money advertising on Twitter. According to Bloomberg, the company spends more than $100 million a year on advertising.

Apple, on the other hand, maintains strict guidelines regarding what apps are allowed within the iPhone, iPad, and other ecosystems. Twitter apps with lax content moderation guidelines may be subject to penalties from Apple, including removal from the App Store.

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