Elon Musk urges Tim Cook to modify a rule for X, following years of criticism towards Apple.

Elon Musk urges Tim Cook to modify a rule for X, following years of criticism towards Apple.

Elon Musk Calls on Apple to Adjust App Store Fees for X

Elon Musk, the outspoken billionaire and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has once again taken aim at Apple and its CEO, Tim Cook. In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), Musk expressed his desire for Apple to make an exception on the fees it charges for transactions made through its App Store, specifically for users of X.

Apple currently takes a 30% cut on all app and in-app purchases on iOS devices, including subscriptions made through apps. Musk’s proposal suggests that Apple should adjust its fee structure so that it takes 30% of what X keeps, rather than 30% of the total amount paid by users, thereby maximizing the earnings received by creators on the platform.

While it may be unlikely that Apple will be willing to make such a adjustment, there have been instances in the past where the company has made exceptions for X. For example, during X’s recent rebranding, Apple allowed the company to list under the single-character name “X” on the App Store, despite a policy that prohibited such names.

Musk has been actively promoting a feature on X called “Super Follows”, which allows users to pay a monthly fee of $8 to access exclusive content from creators on the platform. Initially launched in 2021, this feature has gained traction among users. In a recent update, Musk announced that X would delay taking a 10% cut of the subscription revenue from creators after 12 months, opting instead to wait until the creators had earned $100,000 from the program, in addition to the free year.

Under Musk’s leadership, X has also introduced a program to pay Twitter Blue users a share of their ad revenue. Several creators have reported receiving thousands of dollars through this program, further demonstrating Musk’s commitment to supporting the creators on his platform.

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This is not the first time Musk has expressed his dissatisfaction with Apple’s App Store fees. Last year, he accused Apple of monopolizing the app market and opposing free speech in a series of tweets. However, Musk later made amends with Apple and Tim Cook, posting a photo of himself at Apple’s headquarters and thanking Cook for a tour.

It is worth noting that Musk’s grievances with Apple date back several years. He has previously claimed that Apple takes Tesla’s rejects and, in 2016, there were reports that Musk had attempted to take Tim Cook’s job at Apple, though both Musk and Apple denied these rumors.

Musk is not the only high-profile executive to criticize Apple’s App Store fees. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta (formerly Facebook), has also voiced concerns about Apple’s control over the App Store, calling it “problematic”.

While it remains to be seen whether Musk’s plea for Apple to adjust its App Store fees for X will be successful, it highlights an ongoing debate about the power and policies of tech giants and their impact on creators. The outcome of this discussion could have far-reaching implications for the future of app stores and the digital economy as a whole.

Both Apple and X have yet to comment on Musk’s request for an adjustment to the App Store fees at the time of writing.

• elon musk
• Tim Cook
• Twitter