Elon Musk ignites spat with Apple as ex-App store boss says network WILL get booted off platform

Elon Musk announced that he intends to 'go to war' with Apple over its decision to desert Twitter as an advertiser - a move Musk said suppresses free speech and serves as a blatant exploitation of the tech giant's power.

The brazen declaration was delivered by the new Twitter chief Monday, in a slew of tweets that called out the iPhone maker for pulling back partnered posts on its site.

The tirade also saw Musk - who has seen 50 of the platform's top 100 advertisers pull ads since taking the reigns last month - also air long-running concerns regarding the company's outsized market power.

Apple, previously Twitter's top advertiser, ruffled feathers yesterday when it seemingly joined a host of other companies to cease advertising on the site without issuing a formal statement, according to Musk.

The mass exodus primarily stems from ethical concerns regarding the company's new direction under its new boss, who has sought to increase revenue through subscriptions and offer users increased leniency with their posts since buying it up last month.

In his 15-minute spiel Monday, Musk called out Apple for what he said amounted censorship by privately threatening to withhold Twitter from its App Store. 

Musk further accused the company of halting nearly all of its advertising spending on Twitter - a move that would jeopardize his $44billion investment.

Elon Musk announced that he intends to 'go to war' with Apple over its decision to desert Twitter as an advertiser - a move Musk said suppresses free speech and serves as a blatant exploitation of the tech giant's power

Musk wrote Monday that Apple has 'mostly stopped' advertising on the platform - before tearing into the company for what he called monopolistic and un-American practices

'Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter,' the Musk wrote Monday, setting up a mammoth clash between the world's wealthiest man and its most valuable company. Musk would then add: 'Do they hate free speech in America?'

Musk proceeded to call attention to Apple's practice of putting a 30 percent tax on anything purchased through its App Store, which the South African mogul erroneously referred to as a 'secret tax.' 

The post also reshared a recent declaration from media watchdog Watcher Guru that the practice amounted to a '30 percent tax' on the internet, due to Apple's far-reaching influence over the worldwide app market.

Musk signaled in a meme that he intends to 'go to war' with Apple over its practices, in a spat that could set the stage for a dispute that could draw newfound attention to how speech is monitored on the internet.

Musk, however, said the conflict could burgeon into a full-blown 'revolution against online censorship in America' - as well as ' the future of civilization' -before it boils over. 

He also tweeted a link to a parody video made by Apple foe Epic Games - who unsuccessfully sue Apple over its stranglehold on the mobile app market in 2020.

The video, also made in 2020, criticizes the App Store as a 'monopoly' and serves as a parody of Apple’s famous '1984' Super Bowl commercial.

Musk said the conflict could burgeon into a full-blown 'revolution against online censorship in America' - as well as ' the future of civilization' - before it boils over 

 Epic, the maker of Fortnite and other successful video games often sold digitally, released the clip after it was kicked off Apple’s store for questioning and eventually fight back on its rules on in-app payments. 

Musk, who has echoed these concerns to his more than 120 million followers, tweeted a poll Monday asking his subscribers whether Apple should 'publish all censorship actions it has taken that affect its customers.' 

In one tweet, Musk specifically tagged Apple CEO Tim Cook’s Twitter account, asking him to take accountability for his firm's alleged actions. 

Musk proceeded to call attention to Apple's practice of putting a 30 percent tax on anything purchased through its App Store, which the South African mogul referred to as a 'secret tax'

Apple, meanwhile, has yet to confirm or deny any of Musk's allegations. The company had been the top advertiser on Twitter, spending $48 million on ads in the first quarter of this year alone - roughly 4 percent of Twitter’s total revenue.

Musk has called the dynamic exhibited by both Apple and its primary competitor in the App sphere, Google, demonstrative of a 'duopoly' - and has said the fees charged by the tech giants 'are obviously too high.'

'It is a hidden 30 percent tax on the Internet,' Musk wrote in a tweet last week that echoed his assertions Monday, tagging the Department of Justice’s antitrust division in a follow-up post. 

The seemingly small sums have frustrated Musk, insiders have said, as they eat into potential revenue yielded under his so called 'Twitter 2.0' - which will soon charge $8 per month for subscriptions that gift users a blue checkmark. 

In one tweet, Musk specifically tagged Apple CEO Tim Cook’s Twitter account, asking him to take accountability for his firm's alleged actions.

The DOJ, meanwhile, is reportedly investigating rules surrounding companies' app store practices, including both Apple and Google.

Recent posts show that of those companies to pause their advertising over the past few weeks, none had returned to the social media service as of Monday.

Shortly after his announcement regarding Apple's quiet pullout, Musk, in a reply to a user asking if Apple is 'threatening Twitter's presence in the app store' through its actions, the famously outspoken CEO provided an uncharacteristically curt response.

'Yes,' he wrote in response. 

Shortly after his announcement regarding Apple's quiet pullout Monday, Musk, in a reply to a user asking if Apple is 'threatening Twitter's presence in the app store' through its actions, the famously outspoken CEO provided an uncharacteristically curt response

Over the weekend, industry insiders told the Financial Times that Twitter's current ad situation - which has seen it lose over $750 million in advertising in 2022 alone, according to Media Matters' report - has worsened in recent weeks, as agencies have seen decreased communication with Twitter's ads business team due to so few staff being left following mass layoffs. 

Musk fired roughly 50 percent of the original 7,500-strong workforce after taking control of the company in October - and has since received resignations from more than 1,200 others. 

Among those affected by the layoffs was a team devoted to tackling child sexual exploitation on the platform, which was reportedly halved as a result of Musk's move.

According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple was one of several companies including Jeep and Ford perturbed by the nixings, and spurred it to reconsider its professional relationship with Musk's new Twitter. 

The mass walkouts also came after Musk had told staffers earlier this month that they must commit to working 'long hours at high intensity' or else leave the company.

Musk recently shared slides from talks with Twitter workers citing a drastic reduction in hate speech since his $44billion takeover

The slides posted to Musk's twitter page show that between October 17 and November 13 hate speech impressions are lower

Musk also reported that new user signups were at an all-time high averaging over 2 million per day in the past 7 days

Twitter 2.0 'The Everything App' was teased in the post, boasting advertising as entertainment, encrypted messaging, video, the relaunch of Blue verified and new payment options

These new figures, counter reports early last month which claimed an uptick in the amount of hateful language being tweeted in the wake of Musk taking the helm

It comes as several high-profile companies to issue statements to announced halted advertising on the site include Chevrolet, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Ford, and Jeep, putting Musk under increased pressure after his high-profile

Other noticeable names to apparently nix their relationship with the company are cheese giant Kraft, Coca Cola, Nestle, Chanel, AT&T, CNN, Heineken, and Kellogg's.

These firms are among those dubbed 'quiet quitters' by the watchdog after they stopped advertisements without issuing a formal statement. 

Musk tweets Monday suggest that Apple has now joined that list, following the mogul's assertion the firm had 'mostly stopped' advertising on the platform. 

The billionaire - who is worth nearly $200 billion - has said he is losing $4 million a day as a result of advertiser revolt 

Musk’s plans, meanwhile, have already seen previously banned accounts, like the one owned by former president Donald Trump, restored.

Since then, advertisers have expressed concern about the site's strategies for moderating content and how those policies could affect the perception of their brand in the eyes of the public. 

Musk has chastised the phenomenon as a coaligned 'kill effort,' designed to force Twitter into submission 'by starving us of advertising revenue.'

He has yet to confirm whether or not Apple has elaborated on its alleged ultimatum.