Reuters, STOCKHOLM, 30 November – Daniel Ek, CEO of Spotify (SPOT.N), continued criticizing Apple (AAPL.O). Through a string of tweets on Wednesday, the iPhone manufacturer was accused of “giving itself every benefit while simultaneously impeding innovation and hurting consumers.”
Over his 21-tweet thread, Ek tagged a number of business people who shared his sentiments, including Musk, Microsoft President Brad Smith, and Proton Founder Andy Yen.
Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, slammed the fee Apple charges software developers on Monday, as well as his Twitter business – for in-app purchases and shared a meme implying he was prepared to “go to war” rather than pay it.
Previously, Spotify has already filed antitrust cases against Apple in a number of nations, arguing that the 30% fee pushed Spotify to “artificially increase” its own prices.
However, On Wednesday, Apple did not react right away to a request for comment. According to past statements, Apple said the 30% cut it takes on acquisitions made in its App Store is meant to protect customers against things like fraud and privacy.
The CEO of the company that makes “Fortnite,” Epic Games, Tim Sweeney, said in a tweet on Wednesday that opposing Apple’s “monopoly” was “an American concern beyond party politics.”
“So, how long should we ignore this threat to the internet’s future? How many will additional customers have their choices restricted? Many people have talked about it. However useful, action is still needed”, wrote Ek.
On Wednesday afternoon, Musk is supposed to have a videoconference with European Commissioner Thierry Breton. The substance of their discussion is yet to be disclosed. The two met earlier in May in Texas, Before Musk’s $44 billion purchase of Twitter, where they indicated a broad agreement over EU policies on technology regulation.
