Elon Musk claimed in a series of tweets that Apple threatened to block the Twitter application from its app store, without explaining why, and also claimed that the iPhone maker has stopped advertising on the social networking platform, according to the relationships. a report Reuters.
The Twitter and Tesla CEO said Apple was lobbying Twitter for content moderation requests.
This action — which hasn’t been confirmed by Apple — wouldn’t be strange, because the company has enforced its rules permanently and removed apps like “Gab” and “Parler” previously.
The companies said at the time that Apple would bring back Parler — which is popular with conservatives in the US — in 2021 after the app updated its content and adhered to Apple’s terms.
Musk – who bought Twitter for $44 billion – said in a tweet: “Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter. Do they hate free speech in America?”
Later, he tagged Apple CEO Tim Cook’s Twitter account in another tweet, asking, “What’s going on here?”
What’s going on here @tim_cook?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022
Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
And Apple (the world’s most valuable company) spent about $131,600 on Twitter ads between Nov. 10 and Nov. 16, down from $220,800 between Oct. 16 and Oct. 22. A week before Musk closed the Twitter deal, according to the ad measurement firm. Pathology.
The Washington Post reported, citing an internal Twitter filing, that in the first quarter of 2022, Apple was the number one advertiser on Twitter, spending $48 million and accounting for more than 4% of total revenue for the period.
“going to war”
One of Musk’s recent tweets complained that Apple is imposing fees of up to 30% on software developers for in-app purchases, as Musk posted a note suggesting he is prepared to “go to war” with Apple instead of paying the commission.
These fees imposed by app stores have sparked criticism and lawsuits from companies like Epic Games, the maker of the ‘Fortnite’ game.
These fees could weigh on Musk’s attempts to raise Twitter subscription revenue to offset the exodus of advertisers over their concerns about new content policy in the age of the American billionaire (companies like General Mills and Audi of America). the luxury automaker has been advertising on Twitter since the acquisition.
Musk said in early November that the company has seen a “massive” decline in revenue and that advertising revenue accounts for about 90% of Twitter’s revenue.
Musk – who defines himself as an absolute freedom of expression, and whose company has in recent days restored several Twitter accounts, including that of former US president Donald Trump – accused activist groups of putting pressure on advertisers.
