Ian Miles Cheong
Rebel NewsMon, 28 Nov 2022 00:01 UTC
© Hannibal Hanschke/Pool via AP/Rebel News edit
"Chief Twit" and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has declared war on Apple for its attempted censorship of Twitter.
In a series of Tweets on Monday, Musk disclosed that the tech giant "mostly stopped advertising on Twitter," adding, "Do they hate free speech in America?"
Although Musk's remarks first appeared to be without context, many in the comments highlighted to others efforts by activists โ notably driven by establishment media publications like the Associated Press, New York Times, and others โ to get Apple and Google to pull Twitter from their mobile app stores.
Musk asked: "What's going on here, [Tim Cook]?"
Musk then responded publicly to users in his replies, including software developers, who alleged that they too had faced censorship by Apple.
"During Covid, Apple demanded our apps filter some search terms from being returned," wrote LBRY. "If we did not filter the terms, our apps would not be allowed in the store. Apple may make good products, but they have been opposed to free speech for some time."
Musk then revealed the source of his issues with Apple, disclosing on Twitter that the company has threatened to withhold Twitter from its app store without any explanation.
Musk pointed out that Apple levies a hidden 30% tax on everything developers sell through the App Store, including on the sale of in-app content.
With all the facts laid out, Musk announced via a meme that he is going to war with Apple rather than paying the 30% Apple tax.
pic.twitter.com/uKEY9mVujp
โ Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022
Although it remains to be seen what moves the Tesla founder will take moving forward, many are proposing that he develop his own Tesla or SpaceX smartphone to rival Apple and Google's offerings.
Comment: To finish off the tweet series, Musk wrote:
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A battle has surely been brewing between Musk and Apple since long before Musk bought Twitter, at least as far back as some contentious and fruitless negotiations over whether Apple would actually buy Tesla, some years ago.
That was a non-starter. (Musk later tweeted that Tim Cook wouldn't take his call.)
Also, at least as far back as 2021, a year before he made his offer to buy Twitter, Musk was tweeting about Apple's 30 percent cut. (It's actually 30 percent of first-year revenues, and 15 percent afterward, but people seem to say "30 percent" as shorthand in any event.)
Meanwhile, Apple has been engaged in epic battles with other companies too over its commission, probably most notably over Fortnight and Netflix. And, there's a class action lawsuit about the 30 percent fee that has lasted more than a decade, making its way all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court and back, without actually reaching a verdict.
All of which finally brings us back to Twitter -- and the lesson I hope any other business person would take away from all of this. It's really about what's missing from the fight.
In short, if you go into battle with anyone, it usually makes sense to try to create a face-saving way for the other side to do whatever it is that you want them to do.
Here, there's no easy way out. There's no "emergency exit" that would allow deescalation and resolution.
We assume that Musk wants Apple to advertise on Twitter, and not to remove Twitter from the app store, and maybe even to work out some kind of deal to pay less than a 30 percent commission on his famed $8-a-month subscription idea.
But framing everything as Musk has, it becomes less and less possible for Apple -- and Cook specifically -- to agree to anything that even remotely looks like a concession to Twitter.
At the same time, by announcing to the world that this is "war" (deleted) and "a battle for the future of civilization" (not deleted), Musk makes it harder for Twitter to concede anything to Apple without looking like he's lost.
Look, I've followed Musk for many years. I even compiled a free, simple ebook about him, called Elon Musk Has Very Big Plans, yet just two years later, it reads more like an artifact of an earlier time.
At this point, I can't tell you whether Musk is truly playing some kind of nine-dimensional chess, or if he's simply manifesting a dangerous mix of brilliant thought and impulsive action.
Comment: To finish off the tweet series, Musk wrote:
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