Elon Musk goes to war with Apple claiming it 'hates free speech' - from his iPhone

Elon Musk spent last night moaning about Apple, claiming the tech giant has pulled advertising from Twitter and threatened to 'ban' its mobile app - Musk asked if they 'hate free speech'

Ciarn Daly Technology reporter

11:21, 29 Nov 2022

[(FILES) In this file photo taken on October 10, 2019 SpaceX founder Elon Musk addresses the media during a press conference announcing new developments of the Crew Dragon reusable spacecraft, at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. - Elon Musk took control of Twitter and fired its top executives, US media reported late October 27, 2022, in a deal that puts one of the top platforms for global discourse in the hands of the world's richest man. Musk sacked chief executive Parag Agrawal, as well as the company's chief financial officer and its head of legal policy, trust and safety, the Washington Post and CNBC reported citing unnamed sources. (Photo by Philip Pacheco / AFP) (Photo by PHILIP PACHECO/AFP via Getty Images)]

Elon Musk spent the night ranting about Apple(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Twitter CEO Elon Musk picked a new target for his daily public tantrum last night: the tech giant Apple.

The world's richest man spent hours moaning about the world's most valuable company, claiming Apple has 'mostly' stopped advertising on Twitter and accusing the firm of 'censorship'.

Musk directly tagged Apple CEO Tim Cook in one series of tweets, writing: "Do they hate free speech in America? What's going on here [Tim Cook]?"

In other tweets, Musk asked: "Who else has Apple censored?" and complained that the tech company has "threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, but won't tell us why".

[CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - NOVEMBER 28: The Apple company logo hangs above an Apple retail store on November 28, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. Apple is currently facing shortages in iPhone supplies due to COVID-19 restrictions in China and unrest at one of Apple's major Chinese suppliers. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)]

Apple made up 4% of Twitter's revenue in early 2022(Image: Getty Images)

He didn't stop there either, claiming that Apple 'puts a secret 30% tax' on everything sold through the App Store.

The cherry on the cake came when Musk claimed his Twitter tantrum was part of 'a battle for the future of civilization' and described it as a 'revolution against online censorship in America'.

Musk's posts weren't supported by any evidence. Apple has been approached for comment and this article will be updated as soon as a statement is available.

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[(FILES) In this file photo taken on November 21, 2019 Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk introduces the newly unveiled all-electric battery-powered Tesla Cybertruck at Tesla Design Center in Hawthorne, California. - Elon Musk took control of Twitter and fired its top executives, US media reported late October 27, 2022, in a deal that puts one of the top platforms for global discourse in the hands of the world's richest man. Musk sacked chief executive Parag Agrawal, as well as the company's chief financial officer and its head of legal policy, trust and safety, the Washington Post and CNBC reported citing unnamed sources. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)]

Musk claims to be angry about free speech - but is it really Twitter's bank balance that's bothering him?(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Despite Musk's strong words about free speech, it's likely that his anger has more to do with reports that Apple has reduced its ad spend with Twitter.

In the first three months of 2022, Apple reportedly made up 4% of Twitter's revenue through advertising, spending $48million (39m).

Now, estimates from Pathmatics suggests that Apple has reduced its ad spend significantly in recent weeks. If that's true, it's undoubtedly damaging Musk's bottom line.

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