Having bought Twitter, Elon Musk has now turned his attention to Apple, a company he’s very much not in a position to purchase despite his incredible wealth .
So no, he has no public plans to buy the tech company. But that doesn’t mean he can’t make some criticisms.
Musk went after Apple’s App Store commission in a series of recent tweets.
Musk seems intent on rebuilding the internet in his image.
Musk became Twitter’s biggest shareholder just weeks after complaining about the site’s lack of transparency when it comes to bans. He’s teased some big changes for Twitter, although we haven’t seen any just yet.
Now he’s complaining about Apple.
Apple’s App Store takes a 30% cut from developers who want to put their apps on the platform. It’s been a target for criticism in the past, and now Musk is joining in, calling the tax, “Not OK.”
He’s not against Apple’s fees altogether — he just thinks it should be less.
As a man with a net worth of twelve figures, Musk is not a fan of high taxes. He said in a follow-up tweet that Apple’s 30% cut is too much — but 3% would be acceptable.
He isn’t the only one who dislikes Apple’s fees.
Two years ago, Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg took aim at Apple, saying that the steep tax amounts to Apple having a “stranglehold as a gatekeeper on what gets on phones.”
Zuckerberg’s complaint was tied to his company’s dealings with Apple.
Meta, Facebook’s parent company, asked Apple to reduce the fee on a new Facebook feature. Apple refused, and Zuckerberg came out swinging. He later said that Apple “deserves scrutiny” for its practices.
If Musk wants to influence online discourse, it won’t be easy.
The billionaire has a massive platform, but buying companies like Twitter puts Musk in the crosshairs of lawmakers, some of whom are already critical of his purchase. Needless to say, Musk has been coming out swinging at his critics in recent days.
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What’s next for Elon Musk?
He may not like Apple’s high App Store fee, but there’s little he (or Mark Zuckerberg) can do to change Apple’s policies. Might he make a play for the company? Maybe some more mean tweets? It’s anyone’s guess.
What do you think?
Many of Musk’s criticisms seem to stem from free speech concerns. It seems an admirable goal, but it’s for governing bodies — not private companies — to ensure a person’s right to free speech.
Let us know what you think of the latest Elon Musk drama in the comments!
