Tesla CEO Elon Musk sides with Epic Games in Apple Dispute
The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX expresses his displeasure with Apple’s “de facto global tax.”
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has spoken out in support of Epic Games in their ongoing legal battle with Apple.
Musk stated on Twitter that the App Store fees are a “de facto worldwide tax on the internet,” adding that Epic is on the right side of the debate.
Since the store’s inception, Apple has taken a 30% commission on all App Store game purchases, which has been common practice in the games business. Musk goes on to say that Apple conducts “almost no incremental effort” and that such a large decrease is “absolutely unfair.”
“Epic is the right word.”
Following Apple’s suspension of Fortnite from the App Store in August, Epic Games initiated a legal battle with the company. Epic was accused of violating the App Store’s terms by allowing the in-game currency to be purchased through a third party (Epic’s storefront) and utilized in the game on iOS devices, according to Apple.
“Normally, price competition would compel Apple to cut its prices, but Apple and Android enjoy a monopoly on smartphones. When familiarity with the UI is taken into account, it’s essentially a monopoly “Musk went on.
“The Apple Tax is considerably more harmful than many realize,” Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney commented in response to Musk’s post.
“They claim that it only applies to “digital commodities available on iOS,” but in the future, all physical goods will have a digital presence, and Apple will tax and “gate keep” global trade. Apple must be put out of business.”
Apple just announced that since 2020, App Store developers have been paid 48 percent more.
Meanwhile, Epic Games has teamed up with Ariana Grande for a performance as part of the Rift Tour event in Fortnite.