Elon Musk takes Twitter on attack against Apple
ANKARA, TURKIYE - OCTOBER 06: In this photo illustration, the image of Elon Musk is displayed on a computer screen and the logo of twitter on a mobile phone in Ankara, Turkiye on October 06, 2022. Muhammed Selim Korkutata / Anadolu Agency
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., - Elon Musk is going to war with Apple. The CEO of Tesla and head of Twitter called out Apple, and its CEO Tim Cook for pulling a majority of its advertising from his newly acquires social media platform and suggesting this move was an act to undermine free speech.
"Do they hate free speech in America?" he said on Monday.
Musk also claimed that Apple has threatened to kick Twitter out of its mobile store where iPhone users download apps.
In his latest provocative tweets on Monday, Musk also claimed that Apple's App store puts a "secret 30% tax" on everything consumers purchase. That added charge, however, has been documented for years.
"What's going on here," Musk tweeted at Cook who has not responded.
Musk said that the tech giant requires apps in the store to abide by certain content standards.
Musk didn't stop there. He later posted a Twitter poll asking if Apple should publish all censorship actions it has taken that affect its customers. Over two million people voted in the poll, which was active for 24 hours.
Nearly 85% of voters were in favor of Apple publishing all censorship actions that affect customers. The results, of course, are not scientific.
Musk's Apple accusations come as he tries to move Twitter away from heavily relying on advertising money.
Companies like General Motors, United Airlines, and General Mills have temporarily stopped buying ad space on Twitter.
Many companies said they were concerned about how Twitter will moderate content under Musk's leadership.
In a tweet on Nov. 4, Musk said Twitter had a massive drop in revenue because activist groups put pressure on advertisers.
Musk bought twitter in October for $44 billion.