Elon Musk Calls Out Apple on Its App Store Fees: "Epic [Games] is Right"

Elon Musk is taking a jab at Apple, this time taking to Twitter to slam the tech giant for its App Store fees.

In a tweet, Musk said, “Apple app store fees are a de facto global tax on the Internet. Epic is right.” In his post, he appears to take the side of software developer, Epic Games, which is currently suing Apple for its controversial App Store policies. Back in August 2020, Epic Games first filed a lawsuit against Apple when its hugely popular game, Fortnite was removed from the App Store. Apple reportedly chose to do so after Epic decided to offer its players a 20 percent discount on in-game currency so that players could go around Apple and just purchase from Epic directly.

The lawsuit essentially saw Epic accuse Apple of running a monopoly. In later Tweets, Musk clarified that he actually enjoys using Apple products, but did agree that its fees were “completely unreasonable,” thus his decision to side with Epic during this legal battle.

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney chimed in on Twitter, giving his two cents about the situation, “It only applies to digital goods accessible on iOS”, they say — but in the future all physical goods will have a digital presence, and Apple will tax and gatekeep world commerce. Apple must be stopped.”

Check out the tweets below.

Apple app store fees are a de facto global tax on the Internet. Epic is right.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 30, 2021

Normally, competitive pressure would force Apple to lower fees, but Apple & Android have a duopoly on phones. When interface familiarity is taken into account, it’s basically a monopoly.

The effective 30% sales tax Apple charges is hidden from users or there would be an outcry.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 30, 2021

The Apple Tax is far more pernicious than many realize. “It only applies to digital goods accessible on iOS”, they say — but in the future all physical goods will have a digital presence, and Apple will tax and gatekeep world commerce. Apple must be stopped.

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) July 30, 2021

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