Elon Musk Reveals Deal With Apple Days After Accusing Tech Giant Of Hating ‘Free Speech’

Elon Musk shared the latest update on the relationship between Apple and Twitter days after he accused the Cupertino-based tech giant of hating “free speech.”

The whole world witnessed a brewing tension between two of the most influential tech companies in the world when the new Twitter owner threw several allegations against Apple. The tech billionaire accused the iPhone maker of hating “Free speech,” ceasing ad spending and “making moderation demands.”

Musk also claimed that Apple had “mostly stopped” having ads on Twitter and has allegedly threatened to “withhold Twitter from its App Store.” Ad measurement firm Pathmatics reported that between November 10 and November 16, Apple spent around $131,600 on Twitter ads, which is less than $220,800 from its spending between October 16 and October 22, the week before Musk acquired the platform.

An internal Twitter document that was seen by the Washington Post reportedly showed that Apple was the top advertiser of the social media platform. In the first quarter of this year, the tech giant spent $48 million on Twitter ads, the publication noted.

Interestingly, a couple of days after his tweets against Apple, Musk said the iPhone maker has “fully resumed” advertising on the social media platform. The tech billionaire made his comments during a conversation on Twitter Spaces on Saturday, noting that Apple is Twitter’s largest advertiser.

Musk, who did not provide any more details about Twitter and Apple’s deal, spoke for over a couple of hours on Twitter Spaces from his private plane. Musk was reportedly invited to the Apple HQ campus at the Apple Park in Cupertino, California and had talked to Apple CEO Tim Cook.

After showing a video of “Apple’s beautiful HQ,” and thanking Cook for taking him around the tech giant’s headquarters, Musk said he had a “good conversation.” He also shared some of the things that were discussed including the “misunderstanding about Twitter potentially being removed from the App Store.”

The new Twitter owner disclosed Cook assured him that Apple “never considered” removing the social media app from the App Store. For now, it looks like Musk will stop his tirade against Apple, but it doesn’t mean he will remain silent about other companies who have suspended advertising on Twitter after he acquired it.

On Saturday, Musk thanked advertisers for returning to Twitter. “Just a note to thank advertisers for returning to Twitter,” the tweet read.