Twitter CEO Elon Musk met with Apple CEO Tim Cook Wednesday at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, and said that they resolved the conflict that erupted this week.
“Good conversation,” Musk tweeted. “Among other things, we resolved the misunderstanding about Twitter potentially being removed from the App Store. Tim was clear that Apple never considered doing so.”
Good conversation. Among other things, we resolved the misunderstanding about Twitter potentially being removed from the App Store. Tim was clear that Apple never considered doing so.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 30, 2022
The meeting came after Musk signaled Monday that he was willing to “go to war” with Apple after the company had largely stopped advertising on Twitter and had reportedly threatened to boot the social media platform from its App Store.
Musk specifically called out Cook in a series of tweets where he also raised the issue of censorship.
“Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter. Do they hate free speech in America?” Musk asked. “What’s going on here @tim_cook?”
“Apple has also threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, but won’t tell us why,” Musk added.
Musk then posted a poll, which he has used in the past to make decisions about what he will do at the company, asking, “Apple should publish all censorship actions it has taken that affect its customers[?]”
Musk highlighted an account that claimed to have been silenced by Apple and asked, “Who else has Apple censored?”
Musk also renewed his criticisms of the fees that Apple charges app developers, “Did you know Apple puts a secret 30% tax on everything you buy through their App Store?”
Account impersonations and Musk’s endorsement of some conservative figures have provoked ire among left-wing nonprofits, some of whom recently pressured advertisers to cease their relationship with the social media company. Several organizations endorsed a letter to the executives of major advertisers, claiming that “extremists” consider the takeover “a new opportunity to post the most abusive, harassing, and racist language and imagery,” including “clear threats of violence against people with whom they disagree.”
The world’s richest man initially told advertisers that he acquired Twitter to “have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence.” He vowed that the social media platform would not become a “free-for-all hellscape” where users could breach the law with impunity.
Musk has remarked that widespread coverage of the acquisition and his subsequent attempts to reform the company, including negative reports from legacy outlets, has contributed to usage reaching record levels. He said his number-one priority is the removal of child exploitation content from Twitter, which previous management neglected to accomplish. Several advertisers paused campaigns on the platform two months ago after a report showed that child sexual abuse material had appeared alongside major advertisers’ profiles.
Related: Musk To Start Creating Smartphones If Apple, Google Remove Twitter From App Stores
