Elon Musk wants to meet Apple CEO Tim Cook to urge him to reduce the company’s 30 percent cut in App Store sales and subscriptions.

The App Store is one of Apple’s most lucrative revenue streams. In 2022 it made a whopping $US1.1 trillion.  According to Apple, 90 percent of billings and sales accrue solely to developers, without any commission paid to Apple.

However, social media companies such as Twitter and Meta are garnering a revenue stream from the App Store themselves, through a cut of the subscription money that Apple pays creators. The cut applies when creators promote their Apple subscriptions on social media platforms.

In 2021, Meta announced a revenue share scheme to operate in 2023 onwards when creators use a Meta platform to advertise online events, promote subscriptions and other products they make available in Apple’s App Store.

Musk similarly wants a slice of the revenue pie. But he wants Apple to agree to a scheme where the tech giant gets only 30 percent of the portion of the pay-out kept by Twitter, which is 10 percent of overall subscription revenue.

Musk, in an “X”, said he was changing how Twitter obtained its cut from creators. “While we had previously said that would keep nothing for the 12 months, then 10%, we are amending that policy to keeps nothing forever, until payout exceeds $100k, then 10%. First 12 months is still free for all.”

“Apple does take 30%, but I will speak with @tim_cook  and see if that can be adjusted to be just 30% of what keeps in order to maximize what creators receive.”

But movement on Apple’s 30 percent cut seems unlikely given concessions Apple already has announced to creators, and because of its long running court action with Fortnite developer Epic Games where Apple is mostly winning.

Elon Musk ‘X’s on Apple’s 30 percent cut in App Store revenue

Epic took Apple to court in August 2020, challenging its ability to stop developers directing customers to payment sites outside the App Store for in-app purchases.

The trial, which began in May 2021, seemed to come out overwhelmingly in Apple’s favour, including on the issue of its right to charge the 30 percent cut. Apple won on nine of the ten counts.

Apple is appealing the one count where Epic prevailed – allowing developers to direct users to external payments sites, which Apple prevents under so-named “anti-steering restrictions”.

Apple’s win on the 30 percent rule suggests it is not likely to agree easily to requests such as Musk’s.

Apple says iOS developers have made more than US$320 billion since the App Store’s began in 2008. That figure had blown out from US$260 billion announced in January 2022, as reported by Statista.

Last year Musk threatened to go to “war” with Apple over its App Store regulation, saying the “future of civilisation” was at stake.