Elon Musk scolds Apple
The owner of the social media platform says the iPhone manufacturer has withdrawn its advertising
Ibrahim Al-TarikMay 8, 2025
Elon Musk has claimed that Apple is restricting advertising on Twitter and is threatening to ban the social media platform from the App Store. This is how the richest man in the world takes on the most valuable technology company.
In more than a dozen tweets targeting the iPhone maker, Musk wrote Monday that Apple "has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter," adding, "Do you hate free speech in America?"
In another tweet, Musk added, "Apple has also threatened to ban Twitter from the App Store, but won't tell us why."
He also addressed concerns from Apple critics that the company doesn't provide enough information on why certain apps and content are banned from the App Store. He posted a poll to his 119 million followers asking if "Apple should publicize all censorship policies affecting its customers," and in another tweet asked, "Who else has Apple censored?"
In response to a developer who said he was forced to remove some content related to Covid-19, Musk wrote: "Apple's secret suppression of free speech. Customers were never informed. What the heck is going on here?"
The tirade against Apple comes at a time when a growing number of big brands have been quietly pulling their spend from the social media platform since Musk inked the $44 billion purchase deal amid fears that the easing of Twitter lockdown could hurt -Moderation policy will result in "harmful" content being shared further.
According to advertising research group MediaRadar, Apple has spent nearly $40 million on advertising on Twitter so far this year, which represents more than 80 percent of its social media spend. Other brands such as Mondelez, Carlsberg, United Airlines and General Motors have also stopped advertising on the platform.
Musk, who describes himself as a "free speech advocate," has said he would allow any form of expression on the platform as long as it's legal, although "negative and hateful speech" would be banned.
In that regard, the Tesla and SpaceX boss has unblocked most Twitter accounts that were previously suspended, including Donald Trump's account - although the former US President has not posted since his account was restored.
The crackdown has fueled speculation that Musk's approach to content moderation could lead to violations of the app store's policies, which require social media apps to "block abusive users", allow users to "report objectionable content" and "explicit to keep material from post".
Last year, following the US Capitol riots, Apple and Google temporarily banned Parler, a small app popular with conservatives and some members of the far right, from their stores for containing in-policy content.
Earlier this month, Yoel Roth, Twitter's former head of trust and safety, wrote in an opinion piece in The New York Times that Twitter has received calls from Apple's and Google's app store teams since Musk took office.
Until further notice, Twitter will continue to be available for download on Apple's App Store and will be marked as "Editor's Choice" for users.
Apple did not respond to requests for comment.
Several top advertising agencies and media buyers reported that nearly all of the major brands they represent have halted spending on Twitter, a setback for the $5 billion annual business.
Musk has been hostile towards some brands that have decided to withdraw their spend, including calling their CEOs to admonish them, an advertising agency executive said.
Apple and Musk have clashed several times in recent years. In 2015, Musk called Apple the "Tesla graveyard" for underperforming employees after the iPhone maker lured dozens of the electric-car pioneer's executives with raises and contract bonuses to fill his secret car venture.
According to Tim Higgins' story of Tesla, Power Play, Apple's CEO Tim Cook once inquired about the tech giant's purchase of Tesla, to which Musk replied that he was open to it as long as he became Apple's CEO. According to the book, Cook hung up. Apple declined comment and Musk dismissed it, saying he never spoke to Cook directly.
In his tweets on Monday, Musk also echoed Apple critics' concerns about the "in-app purchase" policy, which sees Apple retain a 15 to 30 percent share of digital purchases on the iPhone, and the claim that the company abuses its market power.
