Elon Musk is going to 'war' with Apple. Here's a look at the billionaire's years-long beef with the tech giant. (2024)

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Elon Musk seemingly declared "war" on Apple in a since-deleted tweet.

The billionaire accused Apple of monopolizing the market and opposing free speech in a series of tweets.

"Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter," Musk tweeted on Monday. "Do they hate free speech in America?"

In a series of tweets, Musk accused Apple of being politically biased, called for Apple to publish all actions it has taken toward censorship, and asked his followers for support in his fight against the largest tech company in the world.

The Tesla CEO and "Chief Twit" later added that Apple had "threatened" to take Twitter off its App Store and "won't tell us why."

A spokesperson for Apple did not respond to a request for comment from Insider ahead of publication.

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The story of Musk's beef with Apple dates back several years.

The first signs of Musk's one-sided beef with Apple came in 2015 when he joked that Apple employed Tesla's rejects.

"They have hired people we've fired," Musk told German newspaper Handelsblatt. "We always jokingly call Apple the 'Tesla Graveyard'. If you don't make it at Tesla, you go work at Apple. I'm not kidding."

In the interview with the news outlet, the Tesla CEO shrugged off reports that Apple was looking into making its own electric car and took a dig at some of Apple's latest products.

"Did you ever take a look at the Apple Watch?" Musk said. "No, seriously: It's good that Apple is moving and investing in this direction. But cars are very complex compared to phones or smartwatches. You can't just go to a supplier like Foxconn and say: Build me a car."

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In 2016, Musk reportedly tried to take CEO Tim Cook's job.

According to Tim Higgins' book "Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century," Tim Cook had suggested that Apple acquire Tesla in 2016.

At the time, Musk reportedly said he wanted to be CEO and Cook allegedly agreed, until Musk clarified that he wanted to be CEO of Apple — not just Tesla.

According to the book, which cited a source who had heard Musk's retelling of the exchange, Cook said "f*ck you" before hanging up the phone on Musk.

Both Musk and Apple have denied the reports, saying the two CEOs have never spoken.

"There was a point where I requested to meet with Cook to talk about Apple buying Tesla," Musk said on Twitter when the book came out last year. "There were no conditions of acquisition proposed whatsoever. He refused to meet. Tesla was worth about 6% of today's value."

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Four years ago, Musk said Apple's devices don't "blow people's minds" like they used to.

In a 2018 interview with Recode's Kara Swisher, Musk said Apple's products have grown stale.

"There's not many products you can buy that really make you happier," he said. "I still think, obviously, that Apple makes great phones. ... I still use an iPhone and everything. But Apple used to really bring out products that would blow people's minds, you know? And still make great products, but there's less of that."

Musk compared Apple to Tesla, saying Tesla planned to avoid Apple's pitfalls when it comes to consumer interest.

"I don't think people are necessarily running to the store for the iPhone 11," Musk said. "But I think with Tesla, we really want to make products that people just love, that are heart-stopping."

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He doubled down his criticisms of Apple's technology in 2020.

In 2020, Musk criticized the iPhone's softwarewhile speaking at the Satellite 2020 conference.

"Technology does not automatically improve," Musk said. "People are used to the phone being better every year. I'm an iPhone user, but I think some of the recent software updates have been not great."

He continued to say that the software seemingly "broke" his email system.

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A key Apple executive deleted his Twitter account this month.

Phil Schiller, the senior Apple executive who runs the company's App Store, deactivated his Twitter account in November, shortly after Musk reinstated Donald Trump's account, per Bloomberg.

Schiller had hundreds of thousands of followers on the site and had formerly served as the company's head of marketing, The Independent reported. His decision to delete his account spawned headlines and raised eyebrows across the industry.

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Most recently, Musk has slammed the tech company for its App Store fees.

"Did you know Apple puts a secret 30% tax on everything you buy through the App Store?" Musk tweeted on Monday.

It was one of many times the billionaire has criticized Apple for its App Store fees.

In 2021, he called the fees a "de facto global tax on the Internet," and earlier this month, he tagged the Department of Justice's antitrust division in a criticism of the fees.

Now that he owns Twitter, Apple's fees could have an impact on Musk's business and his plans to generate revenue by charging users $8 per month for verification on the social media site.

The tech company controls app distribution for the iPhone and iPad, and takes between 15% and 30% of most in-app purchases made on iOS apps. The company typically requires that developers use in-app payment systems, though it has slightly softened that requirementfor certain apps like Netflix and Spotify.

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Twitter and Apple have a longstanding relationship that Musk has seemingly torpedoed.

Cook has yet to respond to Musk on Twitter, even though the Tesla CEO called out the Apple CEO directly on the social media site.

"What's going on here @tim_cook?" Musk tweeted on Monday, after saying Apple had stopped spending ad money on Twitter.

In the first quarter of this year, Apple was the top advertiser on Twitter, accounting for 4% of the social media company's revenue, according to The Washington Post.

Up until Musk's takeover, Twitter and Apple appeared to enjoy a symbiotic relationship. Apple has frequently used the site for product announcements, and Apple even integrated tweets in its iOS operating system in 2011.

But Musk's recent actions might sour the relationship between the two companies. Ultimately Apple could decide to oust Twitter from its App Store over content moderation concerns.

In a op-ed with The New York Times, Yoel Roth, Twitter's former head of trust and safety, said that "the calls from the app review teams had already begun" when Musk's roll out of paid verification badges led to chaos, with users impersonating public figures and major companies.

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But Musk doesn't seem afraid of the consequences of beefing with Apple.

Last week, Musk said he'd create his own smartphone if Apple booted Twitter of the App Store.

"I certainly hope it does not come to that, but, yes, if there is no other choice, I will make an alternative phone," Musk said on Twitter last week.

Tesla and Apple could also go head-to-head in the auto industry. For years, Apple has been said to be exploring the possibility of creating its own fully-autonomous electric car. The initiative, which is code-named Project Titan, appears to still be in its early phases.

In the past, Musk has said he doesn't see Apple as a threat to Tesla.

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Apple is just one of many targets at which Musk has taken aim.

The billionaire has been known to start his fair share of feuds on Twitter, and he's never appeared hesitant to speak his mind.

Most recently, Musk has publicly argued with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Stephen King on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Musk has personally called up CEOs of companies that have pulled ads from Twitter to complain, Financial Times reported on Sunday.

While Apple's business could be key to Twitter's success, Musk has shown he isn't afraid to ruffle a few feathers.