The waters between Apple and Elon Musk are not calming. Let’s take a look at the highlights of this discussion between the two giant names of the silicon valley recently, in which Twitter is at the center.
Apple allegedly stopped Twitter ads
If you recall, the paid introduction of the verified account badge led to spoofing accounts like Eli Lily and Nintendo, and subsequently for companies like General Mills, Audi, Volkswagen, and advertising companies like Omnicom Media Group to stop their ads on the platform . According to Elon Musk’s share, Apple has joined the companies that have stopped Twitter ads.
In a post he shared, Musk stated that Apple largely stopped advertising on Twitter and accused the company of not enjoying freedom of expression.
Apple and Google influence on Twitter
Elon Musk’s use of the concept of “freedom of expression” in his tweet may actually be a reference to the statements made by Yoel Roth, the former Head of Trust and Safety of Twitter, to The New York Times .
Roth had suggested that Apple and Google’s app stores manage what Twitter allows on its site. Yoel Roth stated that Elon Musk’s desire to turn Twitter into a non-moderated and harsh freedom of expression platform caused him to conflict with Apple and Google.
Tesla PiPhone
On top of all this, the possibility of Elon Musk’s long-awaited Tesla phone coming to life came to the fore. Elon Musk stated that he will make his own phone if it comes to that.
This idea, which seems to be just intimidation for now, can actually be implemented more easily by Tesla compared to many companies. Tesla, which has its own chip technology, can develop a modern interface by taking advantage of the Linux OS, which has more than one million users. If Google and Apple decide to remove Twitter from their platforms, it will be enough to publish an APK for Android users. iPhone users can still access Twitter via the browser.
Elon Musk criticism of the App Store
However, these are all conjectures. While we make these assumptions, Elon Musk continues to fight with Apple. In this context, Elon Musk has also participated in the endless commission fight in the App Store between the developers and Apple, which has been going on for years .
Musk, who initially criticized the censorship in the App Store and even shared the famous video of Epic Games, conducted a survey emphasizing that Apple should openly share all its censorship actions with customers.
Apple threatens to remove Twitter from the platform
In addition to these, Musk announced in a tweet that Apple threatened to remove Twitter from the App Store. Musk also added: “But they don’t tell us why.”
In an interview with CBS on November 15, when Tim Cook was asked if Twitter could be removed from the App Store, Tim Cook emphasized that Twitter said it would continue moderation. “Obviously I trust this because no one wants hate speech on their platform ,” Cook said . had used the phrase.
But Elon Musk’s relaxation of Twitter moderation policies and his desire to unblock suspended accounts conflicts with Tim Cook’s statement.
Donald Trump’s return to Twitter
In addition, Donald Trump’s return to the platform as a result of a simple poll conducted by Elon Musk on Twitter may have confirmed Apple’s stance. Because, just a few days after announcing that he will run for the US presidency in 2024, Trump’s return to the platform drew attention. Moreover, this was not the only problem.
Donald Trump’s return to the platform has been severely criticized as well as his return. Because Elon Musk has stated in the past that such decisions on the platform will be taken by the Twitter Moderation Council, which has a wide variety of perspectives. However, the situation was that contrary to this approach, as Elon Musk frequently stated, the decision was taken with a vote on a platform that fights bots and spam accounts. Later, Musk explained that the idea of the Council belongs to a large coalition of political/social activist groups. A few days after Trump’s return to the platform, one of Apple’s top executives, Phil Schiller, closed his Twitter account.
Criticizing Apple’s 30 percent commission following this tweet, Musk later announced with another tweet that the documents about the suppression of freedom of expression on Twitter would be publicly published.
However, this statement can be shelved by targeting others, just as the idea of the Council was announced to belong to a large coalition of political/social activist groups.
Marc Andreessen and freedom of expression exit
In the meantime, we have conveyed to you that the Twitter alternative Post News received investment from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) . Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, has been tweeting with quotes about freedom of expression for the past few hours. At this point, let us remind you that Andreessen Horowitz was among the investors of Twitter in the past. Elon Musk did not hesitate to retweet one of these tweets.
It is possible to say that the Apple debate with Elon Musk, which started in the focus of Twitter, has not yet reached a conclusion. We will watch and see together where the developments in the aftermath of the discussion will lead.
