Apple boss Tim Cook invited Twitter chief Elon Musk to the tech giant’s stunning spaceship-like Cupertino headquarters on Wednesday, with Musk later thanking Cook for the tour around the company’s “beautiful HQ.”
The meeting between the pair came a day after Musk fired off tweets accusing Apple of “threatening to withhold Twitter from the App Store.” He also questioned the company’s commitment to free speech after claiming Apple had reduced its ad spend with Twitter since he took over, though Apple certainly won’t have been the only company to have done so. Earlier in November, Musk also complained that Apple’s cut from developer sales is too high at 30%, though this only applies to developers who make more than $1 million a year through the App Store.
Following Wednesday’s get-together, Musk sounded much friendlier toward new buddy Cook, tweeting, “Good conversation. Among other things, we resolved the misunderstanding about Twitter potentially being removed from the App Store. Tim was clear that Apple never considered doing so.”
Musk acquired Twitter in a controversial $44 billion deal at the end of October. Since then, the business has been experiencing a high degree of turbulence after Musk fired the company’s entire board, along with the CEO, before installing himself as the boss, or “Chief Twit” as he briefly called himself. He also slashed the workforce by almost half.
During his first month in charge, confusion has reined over the company’s overhaul of Twitter’s verification system in which prominent figures are given a blue checkmark. Musk also conducted several Twitter polls that led to the banned account of former president Donald Trump being reinstated, along with an estimated 6,000 other previously suspended accounts, leading to concerns that Twitter is taking its foot off the pedal when it comes to content moderation. The current uncertainty surrounding moderation has led to many of Twitter’s large advertisers to pause or reduce ad spend on the platform until reassurance is provided that their ads won’t appear alongside offensive or misleading content.
Musk has taken digs at Cook on many occasions over the years, but Wednesday’s meeting prompted a more diplomatic tone from Twitter’s new owner. Whether it holds, of course, remains to be seen.
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