Since Elon Musk acquired X, the former Twitter, a lot has changed on the platform. Let’s start with your logo and name, and it doesn’t stop there. Content creators can now enter an ad percentage which are displayed in their tweets, as well as charging subscriptions to their most loyal followers.
Finally, in November 2023, Apple ended up breaking up with But the latest setback was undoubtedly the filing of a lawsuit against the platform’s own advertisers. These are measures that please some and upset others, but in the end, it can be done, because the business is yours.
However, Elon, even though he sometimes boasts about being dependent on Apple, has encountered the problem that 30% of each subscription is lost in the famous Apple App Store pricing. He didn’t like it at all, so he decided on a strategy to solve it. It went badly.
Elon Musk’s strategy didn’t work
in an old tweet —or post, as they are now called—, Musk explained that he thought it was very important to support content creators, but that with the rates that Apple charges, it was very difficult. Apparently, he will ask that the 30% that Apple takes from each subscription, represents only 30% of the share that X takesor 10%.
If we do the math, we’ll see that they’re asking Apple to take, instead of 30% of the total subscription, 3%. Of course, X would take 10%, which, subtracting Apple’s share, still comes to 7%. It would make perfect sense for Tim Cook to say no. Among other things, because if you said yes, you’d get thousands of emails from developers asking for the exact same thing. In the interest of fairness, He would have no choice but to accede to the demands of the vast majority or to conclude favourable agreements.
But all this does not matter because, a few months later, Apple made the most radical decision: get out of X and stop them from doing calculations at your expense. The reality of all this, whether Elon Musk likes it or not, is that He needed Apple more than Apple needed him.. It’s always been this way. There’s no reason to give you preferential treatment or allow you to circumvent the App Store rules.
And that’s what happened: the two companies have drifted apart. And now, with a presidential election coming up, that divide is wider than ever. For example, here’s some evidence: Republican Donald Trump returned to X for an exclusive interview, while Kamala Harris opts for more democratic agorasmore in line with Apple as a company.
An older version of this article was originally published on 03/08/2023.
In Applesfera | Which iPhone does Apple CEO use? Tim Cook reveals his favorite color and model, even though “it’s a tough decision”
In Applesfera | This is what Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk or Tim Cook spend on their own security. The difference is appalling
