Elon Musk Wants Apple to Lower Fees for 'X' Creators

Twitter or "X" CEO Elon Musk today said that he plans to speak with Apple CEO Tim Cook about lower App Store fees for creators who earn money through subscriptions on the Twitter/X social network.

X twitter logo
In a post on creator support, Musk said that he plans to ask Apple to collect 30 percent of the creator fee that Twitter keeps rather than 30 percent of the total fee that a creator on Twitter earns. That would potentially give Apple a much lower cut of the money that Twitter is paying out to creators.

Musk said that Twitter does not plan to collect any fees from creators who earn under $100,000. After the $100k mark, Twitter will collect 10 percent of a creator's earnings, though the first 12 months will be free for all creators. If Apple agreed, Apple would be entitled to 30 percent of the 10 percent cut that Twitter takes from creators earning more than $100k.

Apple collects in-app purchase fees from subscription purchases that are made through the Twitter app on iOS devices. Apple earns 30 percent for the first year of a subscription, and 15 percent for each subsequent year. Apple takes the same cut of all digital purchases on the ‌App Store‌, and the Cupertino company is not known for making exceptions to its rules.

Musk's request would not work with the current in-app purchase setup as Apple is collecting its fee from each subscriber who pays a creator rather than from the creator directly.

Facebook has protested the fee that Apple collects from the Facebook subscription option for creators, but Apple has not changed its policies. Facebook instead encourages people to support creators by subscribing on the web rather than on a mobile device, which is a method that Musk could use to limit the fees that Apple takes.

Musk has in the past criticized Apple's App Store fees, calling the cut that Apple collects "definitely not ok" and likening it to a "30% tax on the internet."

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iphone 17 dummies sonny dickson

iPhone 17 Air Almost as Thin as Its Buttons, New Images Show

Thursday April 24, 2025 2:14 am PDT by
If you missed the video showing dummy models of Apple's all-new super thin iPhone 17 Air that's expected later this year, Sonny Dickson this morning shared some further images of the device in close alignment with the other dummy models in the iPhone 17 lineup, indicating just how thin it is likely to be in comparison. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be around 5.5mm thick – with a thicker ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
ipad air magic keyboard feature

iPadOS 19 Rumored to Show Mac-Like Menu Bar When Connected to Magic Keyboard

Thursday April 24, 2025 12:09 pm PDT by
When an iPad running iPadOS 19 is connected to a Magic Keyboard, a macOS-like menu bar will appear on the screen, according to the leaker Majin Bu. This change would further blur the lines between the iPad and the Mac. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously claimed that iPadOS 19 will be "more like macOS," with unspecified improvements to productivity, multitasking, and app window management,...
Global Close Your Rings Day Pin

Apple Stores Giving Away a Limited-Edition Pin For Free Today

Thursday April 24, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Starting today, April 24, Apple Stores around the world are giving away a special pin for free to customers who request one, while supplies last. Photo Credit: Filip Chudzinski The enamel pin's design is inspired by the Global Close Your Rings Day award in the Activity app, which Apple Watch users can receive by closing all three Activity rings today. The limited-edition pin is the physical...
top stories 2025 04 26

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Air Rumors, Apple Watch Turns 10, and More

Saturday April 26, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
We've known for quite some time about Apple's plans for a thinner "iPhone 17 Air" coming later this year, but wow, the latest dummy models give us our best look yet at just how thin this phone is going to be. Other Apple news and rumors this week included another iOS 18.5 beta, the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch launch, and more management reshuffling in Apple's Siri division, so read...

Top Rated Comments

PBG4 Dude Avatar
23 months ago
Another bill Elon doesn’t want to pay. Color me surprised.
Score: 100 Votes (Like | Disagree)
miric Avatar
23 months ago
How about lowering Tesla 3 prices to $15,000?
Score: 81 Votes (Like | Disagree)
a m u n Avatar
23 months ago
The world completely forgets about Google, despite having the same commission. ?
Score: 76 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lotones Avatar
23 months ago
Takes a real tool to spend $44 billion to buy and ruin a social platform millions of people used everyday, then sue a NON-PROFIT for "scaring away advertisers" when they tell the truth about how you invited racists, bigots, and liars back on the platform.

Actually, most tools are helpful. This one is just a self-absorbed fascist-leaning twit.
Score: 68 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
23 months ago
Elon is always complaining!

How about lowering down his own yearly salary to compensate 'X' creators?
Score: 66 Votes (Like | Disagree)
5097842 Avatar
23 months ago
But he sells "Full Self Driving" capability for $15,000 even though it doesn't exist. (and no, I don't think the beta counts, nor do I think the hardware on current Teslas will ever be capable of full self driving).
Score: 51 Votes (Like | Disagree)