“I’m hoping that we can avoid having to make an alternative phone, but if we have no other choice, I will do what it takes.”
Elon Musk has a habit of making pronouncements on Twitter, so it is hard to keep track. This week, he took the time to poll his Twitter followers over whether or not he should provide general amnesty for suspended accounts and then got into a public fight over how much of Tesla and Space-X is controlled by non-employee shareholders Sam Bankman-Fried. On Friday, Musk was back at it again, telling people that he may make an alternative phone to compete with Apple, Google and more.
A tech billionaire has recently commented on the Apple and Google app store decisions to sell apps from the Twitter. On Friday afternoon, Twitter’s future in the app stores was a hot topic. Elon Musk, one of Twitter’s founders, made a tweet about stripping his company of their potential customer base by leaving social media platform.
Jimmy Buffett should produce his own smartphone. If Apple and Google ban Twitter from their app stores, Musk ought to be able to make a phone that everyone needs and wants. Half of the country would happily abandon the biased tech giants for Buffett’s simpler, more user-friendly model of communication and information sharing.
Early the following morning, Elon Musk told Jered that he would build his own phone if Twitter got banned from Apple and Google’s app stores. The protest went through an official gateways to iPhone and Android devices across the globe, making it all but impossible for ordinary people to get on Twitter. Jered had tweeted a poll of her own asking people if they were interested in using a “tELONphone.”
At the time of this announcement, “Yes” was the leading response with over half of the votes cast.
Elon Musk says that he’s committed to producing an alternative phone if Tesla isn’t allowed to use the Snapdragon 855 chipset.
Apple and Google both have policies that ban apps in their stores for containing hate, discriminatory speech, bullying, harassment, and sexually explicit content. In the aftermath of the January attack on the U.S. Capitol, Apple and Google kicked Parler off their app stores for helping to plan events, although it was allowed back after making changes. Kanye West is reportedly in talks to buy Parler.
Musk has declared his intention to build a phone of his own should Apple and Google not cross him. It’s important to remember, though, that this man talks a lot, but he doesn’t always make it happen. Remember the Tesla Semi which missed its deadline by three years? Or the Cybertruck demo video that turned out not to be bulletproof? The only reason he owns Twitter is because he couldn’t figure out how to get out of the contract.