Elon Musk has stated that he and Apple CEO Tim Cook have “resolved the misunderstanding” regarding Twitter’s possible removal from the app store.
Mr. Musk accused Apple of threatening to remove the platform from its app store on Monday, and said the company had halted most of its advertising on the site.
But, according to the Twitter CEO, “Tim was clear that Apple never considered doing so.”
He did not specify whether Apple’s advertising was discussed during the meeting.
The meeting between the two tech titans comes as many businesses have stopped spending on Twitter due to concerns about Mr. Musk’s content moderation plans for the site—a major setback for the company, which relies on such spending for the majority of its revenue.
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Mr. Musk began a feud with Apple on Monday, accusing the company of “censorship” and criticizing its policies, including the charge it imposes on app store purchases.
“Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter,” he said. “Do they despise free speech in America?” he wondered.
He later told his followers that he was meeting with Mr. Cook at Apple’s headquarters and that they had a “good conversation.” We also cleared up a misunderstanding about Twitter potentially being removed from the App Store. Tim was emphatic that Apple would never consider doing so.
The meeting with Apple was announced after Mr. Musk was told he had “huge work ahead” to bring Twitter in line with new European Union rules on disinformation or face a possible ban.
In a meeting with Mr. Musk on Wednesday, EU commissioner Thierry Breton stated that the social media site would have to address issues such as content moderation, disinformation, and targeted advertising.
The Digital Services Act, approved by the EU earlier this year, is widely regarded as the most significant overhaul of rules governing online activity in decades, imposing new obligations on companies to prevent abuse of their platforms.
Major corporations are expected to comply with the law by the end of next year.
Firms found in violation face fines of up to 6% of their global turnover, or a ban in the case of repeated serious violations.
Mr. Breton said in a statement following the meeting that he appreciated Mr. Musk’s assurances that he would get Twitter ready to comply.
“Let’s also be clear that there is still a lot of work to be done, as Twitter will need to implement transparent user policies, significantly strengthen content moderation, protect free speech, combat disinformation with vigor, and limit targeted advertising,” he said.
“All of this necessitates an adequate amount of AI [artificial intelligence] and human resources, both in volume and skill.” “I am looking forward to progress in all of these areas, and we will come on-site to assess Twitter’s readiness.”
According to his office, the EU intends to conduct a “stress test” in 2023 prior to a more extensive audit.
Mr. Musk has fired thousands of employees, reinstated previously banned users such as Donald Trump, and stopped enforcing other policies, such as rules aimed at preventing misleading information about coronaviruses, since his $44 billion takeover of Twitter last month.
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Some civil rights organizations have expressed concern about the billionaire’s actions, accusing him of encouraging hate speech, misinformation, and abuse.
Twitter stated in a blog post on Wednesday that none of its policies had changed, but that it was experimenting in order to improve the platform faster and would rely more on steps to limit the spread of material that violated its rules, offering “freedom of speech but not freedom of reach.”
“Our trust and safety team continues to work hard to keep the platform safe from hateful and abusive behavior, as well as any violation of Twitter’s rules,” the company added.
“The team remains strong and well-resourced, and automated detection is playing an increasingly important role in eliminating abuse,” the statement said.
