How can you not expect him to counterattack? Elon Musk is reportedly planning to raise the blue tick verification fee from $8 to $11 for iPhone users.
The report came after Apple threatened the Tesla founder that Twitter could be removed from the App Store due to content moderation policies.
According to The Information, “The change in pricing is likely a reflection of the 30% cut that Apple takes on revenues from apps for iOS, its operating system for iPhones and iPads.”
“Late last month, Musk began criticizing Apple over its commissions on transactions on its platform and said that Apple had threatened to remove Twitter from its App Store. Musk later backed away from those criticisms following a meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook at the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.”
After their meeting, the billionaire claimed that, apparently, the two cooled things off and buried the hatchet. However, it isn’t entirely true, as the new report suggests that Musk will increase the blue tick fee for Apple users.
The Information claimed that the Tech mogul only intends to charge the extra $3 from people who would pay via their iPhone app, whereas it will remain the same, i.e., $8 for everyone else.
The difference could go up to $4 as the report suggested that Twitter could start charging $7 per month for keeping the blue tick. So, if the $11 news is accurate, Apple users will have to pay an extra $4 for the Twitter Blue subscription.
Neither Apple nor Twitter released any official statement as of now.
According to the Daily Mail, “Musk is touting Twitter Blue to bring in revenue for the company he purchased last month for $44 billion.”
“The Information report said that lower pricing on the website was likely to drive more users to that platform instead of signing up on their iPhones. It did not mention whether pricing would also change for the Android platform.”
On November 28, the new chief Twit mentioned the chief executive officer of Apple in his tweet and wrote,
“Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter. Do they hate free speech in America?What’s going on here @tim_cook?”
Not only that, but he also complained about Apple withholding Twitter from App Store and its 30% tax.
“Apple has also threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, but won’t tell us why,” he wrote.
“Did you know Apple puts a secret 30% tax on everything you buy through their App Store?” said Musk in a different Tweet.
The chief engineer of SpaceX also called out the technology company for not supporting free speech.
“The Twitter Files on free speech suppression soon to be published on Twitter itself. The public deserves to know what really happened ….”
He also created a poll on Twitter to ask users if “Apple should publish all censorship actions it has taken that affect its customers.”
84.7% of people said yes, and 15.3% voted No.
“The people have spoken …” wrote Elon after reading his poll results.
Previously the business magnate claimed that he bought twitter to help humanity by improving ‘free speech.’
What are your thoughts on this news report? Let us know your views in the comments.
Sources: The Information – Twitter – Daily Mail
