Will technology news headlines soon be dominated by a war of words between Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s and Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)’s top executives?
Only time could tell at the moment but recent comments made by Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)’s co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg about Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and its CEO Tim Cook have made the scenario a possibility. At the very least, it seems Zuckerberg is irked by remarks made by Cook.
The story comes from an extensive interview by TIME for its December 15 issue. In the feature, the site’s Lev Grossman described the Facebook CEO’s only display of “irritation” during the interview was when he commented about Cook’s message to customers about privacy some months before.
Asked about Ello, a social network which promises above all else the protection of user data and privacy, the Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) boss said that a service with massive ambitions such as Facebook’s goal to connect everyone in the world cannot rely on a paid subscription model.
Grossman wrote that he then told Zuckerberg that the payment for Facebook may be users giving away their data but then a publicist is said to have steered away from the topic. However, that’s not before the Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) CEO could bring up Cook’s recent statements and the fact that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) makes expensive products.
“A frustration I have is that a lot of people increasingly seem to equate an advertising business model with somehow being out of alignment with your customers. I think it’s the most ridiculous concept. What, you think because you’re paying Apple that you’re somehow in alignment with them? If you were in alignment with them, then they’d make their products a lot cheaper!” Zuckerberg is quoted by Grossman as saying.
Take note of the exclamation point.
Zuckerberg was reacting to the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO saying that the product of free services is its users.
Cook wrote: “A few years ago, users of Internet services began to realize that when an online service is free, you’re not the customer. You’re the product. But at Apple, we believe a great customer experience shouldn’t come at the expense of your privacy. Our business model is very straightforward: We sell great products. We don’t build a profile based on your email content or web browsing habits to sell to advertisers. We don’t ‘monetize’ the information you store on your iPhone or in iCloud. And we don’t read your email or your messages to get information to market to you. Our software and services are designed to make our devices better. Plain and simple.”
Cook was probably taking a shot at Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) but the bullet appears to have ricocheted to Facebook and Zuckerberg.
David E. Shaw’s D.E. Shaw & Co., L.P. reported by the end of the September quarter that it owned about 11.66 million Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) shares. Stephen Mandel’s Lone Pine Capital also reported owning about 8.64 million Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) shares by the end of the same period.
Disclosure: None
