FACT CHECK: Did Tim Cook Tweet, ‘Your Feedback Is Appreciated, Now Pay 30%’?
A post shared on Twitter claims that Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook tweeted, “Your feedback is appreciated, now pay 30%.”
I cannot believe Tim Cook just landed the haymaker of the year but facts are facts pic.twitter.com/nGNOIeUnyo
— Shiv Ramdas Traing To Rite Buk (@nameshiv) November 29, 2022
Verdict: False
The tweet appears to be altered from a separate post sent by another user. There is no evidence Cook sent this through his account.
Fact Check:
Twitter owner Elon Musk claimed Apple threatened to remove the social media platform from its app store, according to CNBC. Shortly after the dispute, Apple and Amazon both moved to continue advertising on the platform after initially suspending all ads, Reuters reported.
The Twitter image claims Cook responded to Musk in a tweet by saying, “Thank you for your feedback, now pay 30%.’ The post appeared to be in relation to Musk asking why Apple “hate[d] free speech” in America. (RELATED: Is PayPal Fining Users $2,500 For Misinformation?)
There is no evidence that this tweet is authentic. Check Your Fact reviewed Cook’s Twitter account and did not find any tweets about Musk paying 30%. Archived screenshots of Cook’s Twitter account on the Wayback Machine did not reveal any tweet matching the one in the Twitter image.
If Cook had made such a comment, media outlets would have covered it, yet none have. CNBC reported that Cook did not respond to Musk’s criticisms. However, a similar tweet appeared from YouTuber Quinn Nelson, who responded to Musk after he criticized Apple.
Thank you for your feedback. Now pay 30%.
— Quinn Nelson (@SnazzyQ) November 28, 2022
The comment is a reference to Musk’s rebuttal of New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Musk responded to Ocasio-Cortez’s criticism of his ownership of Twitter by replying, “Thank you for your feedback, now pay $8,” according to the Hindustan Times. $8 is the price of Twitter Blue, a subscription service, the outlet reported.
Check Your Fact reached out to Apple for comment and will update this article if a response is received.
