Elon Musk has accused Apple of threatening to remove Twitter from its App Store without providing a reason, and that the iPhone maker has stopped advertising on Twitter, prompting him to question whether the tech group hates free speech.
Musk hinted at an App Store ban in a series of tweets on Monday. He tweeted: “Apple has also threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store but won’t tell us why.” He later tagged Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook’s Twitter account in another tweet, asking “what’s going on here?”
In another tweet that explains the cold relationship between Musk and Apple, Musk said, “Did you know Apple puts a secret 30 per cent tax on everything you buy through their App Store?” and went ahead to run a poll asking if “Apple should publish all censorship actions it has taken that affect its customers?”
Before Musk’s announcement, there had been hints that Twitter would be removed from the App Store. One of these was Yoel Roth, Twitter’s former head of trust and safety, who warned of a disastrous expulsion from the Apple and Google app stores. In addition, it was revealed that Phil Schiller, the head of Apple’s App Store, deleted his Twitter account, sparking speculation that Musk’s business relationship with a key Twitter app distributor was fraying.
The sources for this piece include an article in Reuters.