Elon Musk will ask Apple CEO Tim Cook to lower the fees X pays for subscriptions in the App Store.
In a post on Twitter X, Musk said doing so would allow creators to receive more funds.
Apple charges 30 percent for in-app purchases. But Musk said he would ask Cook to keep “30 percent of what X keeps” rather than 30 percent of what a creator would earn on Twitter.
Such a request would likely impact Apple’s profits, especially given the amendments Musk says he’ll make to the platform’s payout policy.
While we had previously said that X would keep nothing for the 12 months, then 10 percent, we are amending that policy to X keeps nothing forever, until payout exceeds $100k, then 10 percent,” Musk wrote.
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People from every corner of the world post incredible content on 𝕏, but often live in tough circumstances, where even a few hundred…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 2, 2023
Apple’s 30 percent commission, which drops to 15 percent after the first year, has been a standard for the past two decades.
It’s unclear if Musk has spoken to Cook about the request at this time.
Late last year, Musk went on a tirade accusing Apple of hating “free speech in America,” stating the company “threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store.” Musk completed his unhinged tweet sequence with a meme showing he’d rather “go to war” than pay Apple’s 30 percent fee.
The temper tantrum concluded with Musk taking a trip to Apple’s headquarters. But, given Musk’s most recent messaging, it’s clear Apple didn’t budge on the 30 percent figure.
But perhaps the most humorous part of this all is Musk’s tone, which seems sympathetic.
“People from every corner of the world post incredible content on X, but often live in tough circumstances, where even a few hundred dollars a month changes their life.”
It’s unclear where this sympathy was when Musk ordered mass layoffs after taking over the company last fall.
Image credit: Shutterstock
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