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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has resisted Apple’s control of its App Store — following complaints from newly minted Twitter owner Elon Musk.
L: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds I Getty Images || R: Win McNamee | Getty Images
During an interview with the New York TimesDealBook top Zuckerberg addressed Apple’s control of its App Store on Wednesday. “I really think Apple has singled itself out as the only company trying to unilaterally control what apps get on a device,” he said, “and I don’t think that’s a sustainable or good place to be.”
Zuckerberg continued, “I think it’s problematic for one company to be able to control what kind of app experiences end up on the device.”
His comments come after similar criticism from Elon Musk. In a series of tweets that also addressed what he said were Apple’s reduced Twitter ad purchases, Musk called Apple’s control of the App Store “a serious problem.” The billionaire also said Twitter could be kicked out of the App Store for no reason.
Zuckerberg did not respond to Musk’s words about Apple, but his criticism of the company’s policies is not new. Two years ago, he accused Apple of blocking competitors and charging “monopoly rent” on the App Store. Musk also criticized Apple’s App Store fees: the company takes 15% to 30% of all iOS in-app purchases.
In 2021, Apple changed its privacy policy, preventing social apps like Meta’s Facebook from targeting ads to users. As a result, companies that rely on digital advertising profits have seen their revenues drop, with Meta’s profits plummeting by 50 percent.
