Billionaire Elon Musk reportedly squashed his beef with Apple, although Twitter users are starting to wonder if there was ever a problem at all.
On Wednesday night, the Tesla CEO took to Twitter to reveal that he had met up with Apple CEO Tim Cook at the Apple headquarters and worked out their differences, stating that Apple was never planning on deleting Twitter from their App Store in the first place.
Elon Musk Claims That Apple Was Never Planning On Deleting Twitter From Its App Store
Thanks @tim_cook for taking me around Apple’s beautiful HQ pic.twitter.com/xjo4g306gR
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 30, 2022
On Wendesday night, Musk tweeted a short video clip of Apple’s “beautiful” HQ, quickly panning over a fountain. Musk’s shadow can be seen holding up his phone to take the video while another shadow, believed to be Tim Cook, stands beside him.
In the caption, Musk wrote, “Thanks @tim_cook for taking me around Apple’s beautiful HQ.” A few hours later, the SpaceX CEO followed up his video with another tweet, telling his 119.6 million Twitter followers that he and Tim Cook had a “good conversation” and resolved their “misunderstanding about Twitter.”
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
“Good conversation,” Musk tweeted roughly three hours after his video. “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.”
The New ‘Chief Twit’ Previously Claimed Apple Had ‘Threatened’ To Pull Twitter From Its App Store
This stands in contrast to an earlier tweet, when Musk had claimed “Apple has also threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, but won’t tell us why.” That tweet was published on Monday, November 28, only a few days before Musk’s trip to the Apple HQ.
Apple has also threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, but won’t tell us why
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022
It is speculated, but not confirmed, that Musk was invited to the Apple HQ to clear up the misunderstanding after his posting spree against Apple on Monday and Tuesday.
“Did you know Apple puts a secret 30% tax on everything you buy through their App Store?” Musk asked in one tweet. In another, he posted a poll that read “Apple should publish all censorship actions it has taken that affect its customers.” 84.7% voted “yes” out of 2,228,444 votes.
Apple should publish all censorship actions it has taken that affect its customers
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022
Shortly after the poll had concluded, Musk commented, “The people have spoken …”
Is It Possible That Musk Was The One With The Misunderstanding?
Apple sends apps like Twitter boilerplate emails warning them to clean up their content moderation practices or risk being booted from the App Store. Curious if that’s what happened here. https://t.co/C9Z6yQi3v1
— Zoë Schiffer (@ZoeSchiffer) November 30, 2022
Platformer managing editor Zoë Schiffer commented on Musk’s new tweet to share one theory as to where the “misunderstanding” initially came from.
“Apple sends apps like Twitter boilerplate emails warning them to clean up their content moderation practices or risk being booted from the App Store,” Schiffer tweeted. “Curious if that’s what happened here.”
However, not everyone was convinced that the slip-up was that innocent. One user commented, “It’s obvious he made everything up for attention like he always does.”
While Elon Musk has plenty of critics, Netflix co-founder and co-CEO Reed Hastings recently praised the tech entrepreneur as “the bravest, most creative person on the planet” during a conversation at the New York Times DealBook conference (via Deadline).
“What he’s done in multiple areas is phenomenal,” Hastings continued, saying that he spent $44 billion on the Twitter deal to “do good for the planet.”
Hastings then asked Twitter users to “give the guy a break,” adding that “people are sooo picky on, the blue check mark, and yes he’s making a mess of some things. Can you give the guy a break? This guy just spent all this money trying to make things better for democracy and society, to have a more open platform, and I am sympathetic to that agenda.”
