Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter today to criticize Apple’s App Store fees in a tweet that sides with Epic in the ongoing Epic v. Apple dispute.
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“Epic is right,” wrote Musk, before going on to call Apple’s App Store fees a “de facto global tax on the Internet.”
Musk earlier this week made veiled comments about App Store fees, but today’s statement is a much more direct criticism.
During Tesla’s earnings call, Musk said that Tesla was planning to let other companies use its charger network because Tesla does not want to “create a walled garden” and use that to “bludgeon” competitors. Musk said that this is a tactic used by “some companies,” and then he fake coughed and said “Apple.”
Epic Games launched a major dispute with Apple in August 2020, defying the App Store rules and getting popular game Fortnite removed from the App Store. After that, Epic Games launched a planned lawsuit to call out Apple’s App Store fees and restrictions.
Apple and Epic Games went to trial earlier this year, and we’re waiting to hear the outcome. Epic Games is aiming for alternate app store or app loading options, while Apple wants to maintain the status quo.
Musk has clashed with Apple over the years due to employee poaching issues, but this is the first time he’s directly spoken out about Apple’s App Store policies. Tesla does not have a paid app in the App Store and is not impacted by fees.
