Big Tech companies’ efforts to throttle information shouldn’t surprise anyone paying attention for the last couple of years. Remember when Apple and Google teamed up with Amazon to temporarily deplatform conservative social media website Parler last year? New Twitter owner Elon Musk pre-emptively sent a not-so-veiled threat to two of those Big Tech giants regarding their respective app stores.
On November 25, conservative commentator and podcaster Liz Wheeler posted a tweet suggesting that Musk “produce his own smartphone” if Apple and Google removed Twitter from their stores. Musk quickly responded that he hoped it didn’t come to that but confirmed that he would “make an alternative phone” should the need arise.
Musk posted a series of tweets announcing that Apple had removed most of its ads from Twitter. He also tweeted that the Big Tech company threatened to remove Twitter from its app store but didn’t explain its warning.
Musk spent the rest of the day taking shots at Apple. For example, he pointed out the platform imposes a “secret tax” as high as 30% on all purchases made through its app store. Musk also posted several tweets vowing to push back on any effort to remove the Twitter app.
