Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) CEO Elon Musk said Monday that Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) has halted most of its advertising on the social media platform and accused the company of threatening to remove the platform from its app store.
In a series of tweets, Musk accused Apple of censorship and criticized its policies, including the charge it levies on purchases made on its app store.
Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter. Do they hate free speech in America?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022
READ: Elon Musk says Twitter recruiting after mass job cuts and resignations
He appealed directly to Apple's CEO — tweeting "What's going on here @tim_cook?"
The owner of the social media platform also claimed Apple had threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store but did not say why.
Apple would not be the first, and likely not the last, company to cut ad spending on the site. Companies including Cheerios maker General Mills (NYSE:GIS) and Volkswagen are among the firms that have halted their spending in recent weeks.
Although Apple has not yet commented, the decision may reflect concerns that Twitter's new, loose moderation rules might run foul of Apple's guidelines.
Twitter's content moderation policies have loosened significantly since Musk took over the platform last month, apparently in line with his vow to make Twitter a haven for "free speech."
Apple has a lengthy list of guidelines for apps listed in the App Store to follow but at the top is a warning against "objectionable content," which states, "Apps should not include content that is offensive, insensitive, upsetting, intended to disgust, in exceptionally poor taste, or just plain creepy."
Contact Jeremy at jeremy@proactiveinvestors.com