Elon Musk wants to speak to Apple’s Tim Cook to cut App Store fees for Twitter creators

In a recent tweet, Elon Musk said that he wants to speak with Apple CEO Tim Cook to adjust the App Store commission for X (previously Twitter), in order to maximize what creators earn on the platform.

X owner Elon Musk said that for the first 12 months, and thereafter till the payout hits $100,000, the social media platform will not keep any percentage of the share creators make from their subscribers. (Bloomberg)

X owner Elon Musk wrote a long post urging users to support the creators on its social media platform by subscribing to them. The microblogging platform recently added a new feature to support content creators where users can subscribe to an account for bonus content, a ‘subscribed' badge, and even exclusive Spaces interactions. In the post, Musk said that the company has decided not to take any commission from the revenue generated through subscriptions to creators for the first 12 months and thereafter till a $100K payout has been reached. After that, it will only take 10 percent. The billionaire also said that he will speak with Apple CEO Tim Cook about the App Store fee structure to see if it can be adjusted to maximize creator revenue.

In a tweet, Musk talked about the importance of supporting creators. He said, “Super Important to Support Creators! If you can afford it, please subscribe to as many creators on this platform as you find interesting. People from every corner of the world post incredible content on X, but often live in tough circumstances, where even a few hundred dollars a month changes their life”.

Then, highlighting X's commitment to the cause, he revealed, “While we had previously said that 𝕏 would keep nothing for the 12 months, then 10%, we are amending that policy to 𝕏 keeps nothing forever, until payout exceeds $100k, then 10%. First 12 months is still free for all”.

He even called out Apple for its high commission and expressed desire to speak with the Apple CEO, saying, “Apple does take 30%, but I will speak with @tim_cook and see if that can be adjusted to be just 30% of what 𝕏 keeps in order to maximize what creators receive”.

Elon Musk wants to maximize how much creators earn

In the last few months, Musk has been building different avenues on the platform through which users, especially those who post engaging content, can generate revenue. X already lets verified users who are eligible take a part of the advertisement-generated revenue as a part of the company's ad revenue sharing program. This way any ads shown on the post or the profile of a user will result in earnings.

Further, eligible users can also get a subscribe button through which they can earn as well. This is similar to Instagram Subscription or Twitch Subscription where the creator can earn a regular monthly income by offering exclusive content and other perks to the premium tier of followers.

Building a creator economy on X could be part of the larger aim of the video-specific feed that the company wants to create. CEO Linda Yaccarino has said multiple times in the past that it is in the works. Short video format is extremely popular in today's times, however, to attract the big name creators would require the company to pay them the top dollar.