One month after taking control of Twitter for 44 billion dollars, Elon Musk remains focused on steering the company toward profitability. In a string of tweets, the richest person on Earth publicly accused Apple of pulling its advertisements from Twitter. Whether the claim is accurate or not, this exchange spotlighted a broader strain between the social network and one of its most influential advertisers.
To understand why Musk set sights on Apple, it helps to examine Twitter’s current struggles. The purchase price, well above what many analysts deemed reasonable, added a heavy debt load. Since its founding in 2006, Twitter has faced profitability challenges that have persisted despite the platform’s enormous reach. Competitors such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube have long shown stronger revenue performance, creating pressure for Twitter to find a sustainable model of growth.
advertiser loss
The core business idea for Twitter has always revolved around advertising. Musk has signaled a shift toward subscription-based revenue as a means to diversify income. The debt accumulated from the purchase has accelerated the urgency to monetize the platform more aggressively. In this context, a plan was announced to offer a blue check subscription for eight dollars a month, promising enhanced features and a better user experience. Yet this initiative did not attract a broad user base quickly enough and also opened doors to impersonation and phishing schemes, which damaged the trust of brands that rely on Twitter for outreach.
The resulting confusion compelled Musk to halt the paid verification program, but the impact lingered as many advertisers reduced or paused their spending. Coupled with changes to how content is moderated on the platform, conversations on Twitter grew more heated and less predictable. Brands looking for a safer, more reliable digital environment began to question the quality of engagement on the site. According to NPR, a U.S. public radio network, Twitter reportedly lost a significant portion of its advertising strength, including a notable share of the advertisers who spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the network in 2022.
What about Apple?
In the midst of this uncertain climate, Musk continued to argue that Apple might stop advertising on Twitter. Apple has not confirmed this intention, and a withdrawal would represent a major financial blow given the company’s high advertising spend on the platform. It is widely acknowledged that Apple dedicates a substantial portion of its annual marketing budget to Twitter, supporting a business model that depends in part on interest from advertisers to reach iPhone, iPad, and other device users.
The strategic thread behind Musk’s focus on Apple touches a longer-standing issue in technology markets. Apple operates the App Store, a crucial distribution channel for iOS apps. Developers are required to pay a commission on purchases and in-app sales, a policy that has drawn scrutiny and criticism in several regions for what some describe as market power over developers. While Musk has mischaracterized certain aspects of this arrangement, the Commission’s rates have a real influence on plans that involve paid tiers or subscription models for Twitter. If the App Store fee structure remains in place, the economics of an eight-dollar monthly tier could be altered, affecting overall feasibility and profitability for the platform.
In short, the Apple angle is tied not only to a potential advertising retreat but also to broader questions about platform economics, app distribution rules, and how a social network aims to monetize a global audience while navigating the policies of major tech ecosystems. These dynamics will continue to shape the strategic decisions Musk pursues as Twitter seeks steadier revenue streams and a clearer path to sustainable growth.