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"Literally 10 times higher than it should be": Elon Musk slams Apple's 30% App Store commission

Tesla CEO and soon-to-be Twitter owner Elon Musk suggests that a lower 3% fee on Apple's App Store would be more appropriate (Image: James Yarema)
Tesla CEO and soon-to-be Twitter owner Elon Musk suggests that a lower 3% fee on Apple's App Store would be more appropriate (Image: James Yarema)
As Elon Musk continues to work on his blockbuster US$44 billion acquisition of Twitter, the tech visionary has once again utilized the influential social network to heavily criticize Apple's large cut on App Store purchases by calling it a "30% tax on the internet".

Most tech enthusiast may be well aware of the fact that tech icon Elon Musk is not the biggest fan of Apple and some of its rather divisive business practices. The infamous 30% cut on App Store purchases that Apple takes from its developers, including the now-estranged game developer Epic Games, has once again garnered some harsh criticism from the South African business magnate.

In two rather short but concise posts on Twitter, Elon Musk today reiterated that "Apple’s store is like having a 30% tax on the Internet", which is "definitely not ok" in his opinion. More precisely, the Tesla CEO and wealthiest man in the world asserted that the commission on the App Store is "literally 10 times higher than it should be", indicating that he would consider a much lower 3% App Store fee to be more appropriate.

In a corresponding article, MacRumor noted that Apple only takes a 30% cut from developers who make more than US$1 million per year on the App Store, while smaller developers can benefit from the "Small Business Developer Program" and its lower 15% fee. In the past, Elon Musk has repeatedly criticized Apple's walled garden approach and its continuous efforts to lock customers into its highly-profitable ecosystem which revolves around iOS and iPadOS devices like the iPhone 13 and iPad Pro, neither of which allow the so-called sideloading of applications which could in theory bypass the controversial 30% AppStore fee.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2022 05 > "Literally 10 times higher than it should be": Elon Musk slams Apple's 30% App Store commission
Enrico Frahn, 2022-05- 4 (Update: 2022-05- 4)