Looming Twitter and Apple Clash

Elon Musk is back in the headlines again. In a recent tweet on Monday, Elon seems to be triggering a spat with Apple CEO Tim Cook. The tweet read, “What’s going on here @tim_cook?” And it did not stop there. In the following 15 minutes, the world’s richest man, who also owns Twitter after a recent takeover deal, tweeted several times.

According to Mr. Musk, the bone of contention is Apple’s recent development, where the company is allegedly looking to bat Twitter from its application service App Store. The move would be problematic for Twitter since many users would be unable to download the popular social media platform.

Mr. Musk added that Apple’s actions would result in censorship and also accused Apple of reducing its overall advertisement expenditure on the social media app. Furthermore, he says there has been no communication or explanation from Apple on the supposed move to block Twitter.

On the matter, Elon posed a series of queries challenging the move. Another of his tweets on the same issue read, “Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter. Do they hate free speech in America?”

It is difficult to downplay the looming confrontation between the two influential figures. Musk’s outburst most certainly implies a power with the Apple CEO. While Musk is the world’s richest man, Tim Cook is no pushover either. With Apple’s continued dominance over the past years, Cook holds an unassailable over the other tech firms.

With his recent ownership of Twitter, Musk seems to be in Apple’s global clout. While not exclusive, Apple is a key distributor of Twitter through its App Store, accessed by many iPad and iPhone users across the globe. The tweet by Elon Musk confidently demonstrates that he is ready to tussle with Apple. Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion in October.

This confrontation with Apple was anticipated since his takeover. He had planned on moving from the platform’s conventional module of relying on advertising for revenue and shifting focus to subscriptions. However, Apple’s requirement of getting almost 30% as a cut on subscription revenue seems to be an obstacle.

Musk seems to have timed his complaints correctly, as Congress has been pushing for antitrust laws. One of the bills being discussed is the Open App Markets Act. The bill may grant developers more power and help them escape Google and Apple charges.