Trust Elon Musk to set the cat among the pigeons!
Video podcaster Liz Wheeler, in a Twitter thread, had asked that if Apple and Google ban Twitter from their app stores, would Musk produce his own smartphone. She also said that “half the country would happily ditch the biased, snooping iPhone & Android”.
Responding to the thread, the billionaire entrepreneur, who is the chief executive of Twitter, tweeted, “I certainly hope it does not come to that, but, yes, if there is no other choice, I will make an alternative phone.”
Wheeler even started a poll of her own asking people if they would use a “tELONphone”. The “Yes” option had garnered over 54 per cent votes.
I certainly hope it does not come to that, but, yes, if there is no other choice, I will make an alternative phone
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 25, 2022
There has been much speculation about Twitter's future in Apple and Google’s app stores, given Musk’s commitment to “free speech” (with a rider, of course).
Both Apple and Google policies allow ban on apps in its stores if they contain hate or discriminatory speech, bullying, harassment, and sexually explicit content.
With Apple App Store executive Phil Schiller deleting his Twitter account, the speculations got a fresh lease of life. The absence of a moderation council is ground enough for Apple App Store to remove Twitter. Though Musk had promised to set up the council, he took a U-turn later.
Elon Musk deals in space travel, electric vehicles, and social media. If he ventures into smartphone manufacturing, he will also have to wade into the world of operating system for phones. Apple and Google own two of the most dominant operating systems in the world: iOS and Android.
Musk has been vocal about the duopoly of the companies on the App ecosystem. “App store fees are obviously too high due to the iOS/Android duopoly. It is a hidden 30% tax on the Internet,” he had tweeted recently.
