“Apple has also threatened to withhold Twitter from its App
Store, but won't tell us why,” Musk tweeted.
In another tweet, Musk accused the company of “hating” free
speech, adding that Apple has “mostly stopped advertising” on the app.
“Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter. Do they
hate free speech in America?” the billionaire wrote.
Replying to the tweet, he added: “What’s going on here
@tim_cook?”
The action, unconfirmed by Apple, would not be unusual as
the company has routinely enforced its rules and previously removed apps such
as Gab and Parler.
Parler, which is popular with US conservatives, was restored
by Apple in 2021 after the app updated its content and moderation practices.
In subsequent tweets, Musk said: “if free speech is lost
even in America, tyranny is all that lies ahead”.
One of Musk’s grievances with Apple is the fee of up to 30%
it charges software developers for in-app purchases. He posted a meme
suggesting that he was willing to “go to war” with Apple rather than paying the
commission.
The fee has drawn criticism and lawsuits from companies such
as Epic Games, the maker of ‘Fortnite’, while attracting the scrutiny of
regulators globally.
This is a battle for the future of civilization. If free speech is lost even in America, tyranny is all that lies ahead.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 29, 2022
Meanwhile, earlier in November, Musk had said that Twitter
had seen a “massive” drop in revenue and blamed activist groups for pressuring
advertisers.
Multiple companies, including General Mills Inc and luxury
automaker Audi of America, have paused advertising on Twitter since Musk
completed his purchase. General Motors Co said it had temporarily halted paid
advertising on the platform.
Musk, who took Twitter private for $44 billion last month,
has been trying to revamp the platform ever since he took over.