Spotify CEO Daniel Ek renewed his attack on Apple, on Wednesday, in a series of tweets alleging the iPhone maker “gives itself every advantage, while, at the same time, stifling innovation and hurting consumers”.
On Monday, the world’s richest person, Elon Musk, criticized the fee Apple charges software developers – including his Twitter business – for in-app purchases, and posted a meme suggesting he was willing to “go to war” rather than pay it.
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Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. It has previously said the 30% cut it takes on purchases made in its App Store is used to protect consumers in areas, such as fraud and privacy.
Spotify has previously submitted antitrust complaints against Apple in various countries, alleging the 30% charge has forced Spotify to “artificially inflate” its own prices.
Ek tagged a number of sympathetic business leaders in his 21-tweet thread, including Musk, Microsoft president Brad Smith, and Proton founder Andy Yen.
Tim Sweeney, the CEO of “Fortnite” maker, Epic Games, subsequently tweeted that fighting Apple’s “monopoly” was “an American issue transcending party politics”.
Ek tweeted that Apple only “offers consumers the illusion of choice and give (sic) developers the illusion of control”.
“So how much longer will we look away from this threat to the future of the internet? How many more consumers will be denied choice? There’s been a lot of talk. Talk is helpful but we need action,” he wrote.
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Published on December 1, 2022
