Spotify CEO Daniel Ek renewed his attack on Apple on Wednesday in a series of tweets alleging the iPhone maker “gives itself every advantage while stifling innovation and hurting consumers.”
Ek tagged several likeable business leaders in his 21-tweet thread, including Musk, Microsoft Chairman Brad Smith and Proton founder Andy Yen.
On Monday, the world’s richest person, Elon Musk, slammed the fees Apple charges software developers — including his Twitter business — for in-app purchases and posted a meme suggesting he was willing to “do war” rather than pay for it.
Spotify has filed antitrust complaints against Apple in various countries, alleging that the 30% charge forced it to “artificially inflate” its own prices.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. It has previously said that the 30% discount it takes on purchases made in its App Store protects consumers in areas such as fraud and privacy.
Tim Sweeney, CEO of “Fortnite” maker Epic Games, tweeted on Wednesday that fighting Apple’s “monopoly” was “an American issue that transcends party politics.”
“So how much longer will we look away from this threat to the future of the internet? How many more consumers will be denied choice? There’s been a lot of talk. Talk is helpful but we need action,” Ek wrote.
Musk is expected to talk with European Commissioner Thierry Breton via video call on Wednesday afternoon, though the agenda was unknown. The pair previously met in Texas in May, ahead of Musk’s $44 billion purchase of Twitter, where they signalled broad agreement on EU tech regulation policy
