Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter, has a history of choosing conflicts and is unapologetically shameless about it. Since his dramatic takeover, he has fired thousands of employees from the social media company and implemented a number of significant reforms in an effort to advance his “free speech” objective.
Sam Bankman-Fried, the CEO of the defunct cryptocurrency exchange site FTX, came under fire from the billionaire a few days earlier, who said that he was better at “bribing media” than managing a business.
The next casualty of Elon Musk is the tech titan Apple. Musk said that the iPhone manufacturer had stopped running ads on Twitter and in a series of tweets on Monday night, he questioned whether the corporation opposed free speech.
Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter. Do they hate free speech in America?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022
Prior to Apple, many other significant ad buyers reduced their platform advertising after Musk, aka Chief Twit, assumed the role of CEO. According to The Washington Post, Apple was the largest Twitter advertiser in the first quarter of 2022, spending $48 million on the social network. General Mills, the company behind Cheerios, as well as Volkswagen are among the businesses that have recently ceased paying their bills.
Musk further claimed that Apple has threatened to delist Twitter from its App Store without providing any explanations. If the allegations are true, iPhone users could not be able to use Twitter ever again because the app’s download would be restricted, which, according to The New York Times, would “amount to censorship.”
Apple has also threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, but won’t tell us why
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022
The Chief Twit then published a poll asking if Apple should “public all censoring actions” that it has taken so far with effects on customers. Over 2 million tweeps have voted at the time of filing this report.
Apple should publish all censorship actions it has taken that affect its customers
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022
Later, in another tweet, he would assert that “Apple puts a secret 30% tax on everything you buy through their App Store.” John William Sherrod, a writer, disagreed, stating that taxes could only be “imposed by the State and enforced up to and including prison if you fail to pay them,” with “removal from the App Store” as the consequence for nonpayment.
Did you know Apple puts a secret 30% tax on everything you buy through their App Store? https://t.co/LGkPZ4EYcz
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022
A strained relationship
Although Tim Cook and Apple have remained silent on Musk’s claims, the Chief Twit has undoubtedly set the ground for a power battle with the iPhone manufacturer as a result of his provocative tweets.
“The destiny of civilisation is at stake in this conflict. “Tyranny is all that lies ahead if free expression is lost, even in America,” Musk added in reference to his most recent “war” on Apple.
This is a battle for the future of civilization. If free speech is lost even in America, tyranny is all that lies ahead.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 29, 2022
Given that Musk seems to have a tense relationship with Apple, this is hardly surprising. Remember how the CEO of Tesla slammed Apple’s in-app purchase cost on the internet, calling it a “hidden 30% tax”? Phil Schiller, the head of the Apple App Store, canceled his Twitter account earlier this month.
But during a recent interview with “CBS Mornings,” Apple CEO Tim Cook was questioned about the possibility of Twitter being kicked out of the App Store. In response, he promised that distribution of Twitter will continue and commended the social media business for its dedication to controlling offensive content.
Elon Musk and his pursuit of ‘free speech’
Since his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, Musk – the world’s richest man — has never missed an opportunity to show that he is indeed the new Sheriff in town. With his tweets and decisions, the self-styled “free speech absolutist” has taken up fights with the powers that be.