Elon Musk said Apple had threatened to remove the Twitter app from the App Store as part of its review moderation process, in the latest claim by the world’s richest man against the world’s most valuable firm.
“Apple has also threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, but won’t tell us why,” Musk tweeted.
After claiming in recent days that Apple has pulled most of its advertising from Twitter, Musk ran a poll in Twitter on Monday asking if “Apple should publish all censorship actions it has taken that affect its customers.”
“Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter. Do they hate free speech in America?,” Musk said in another tweet.
Apple’s App Store is the only way to distribute software to iPhones. If Apple decides to pull out the app, the social network would lose one of its main distribution platforms.
The series of accusations comes as the billionaire is facing pressure over content moderation in Twitter.
Several companies have stopped or paused advertising on Twitter since the Musk’s acquisition in October. Musk said earlier this month that the company had seen a “massive” drop in revenue”, and that companies stopping advertising were due to “attacks by activist groups.”
Apple spent an estimated $131,600 on Twitter ads between Nov. 10 and Nov. 16, down from $220,800 between Oct. 16 and Oct. 22, the week before Musk closed the Twitter deal to buy Twitter, according to specialized firm Pathmatics.
