Apple’s public noise on Facebook angered CEO Mark Zuckerberg so much that he once said that the social network must “cause pain” to the iPhone manufacturer, according to a report.
The reported comment was a harbinger of a bitter dispute between the two technological titans, which recently erupted in public view after boiling behind the scenes for years.
Zuckerberg expressed his desire for revenge after Apple chief Tim Cook analyzed Facebook data collection practices amid the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal, according to the Wall Street Journal (paywall).
Asked how he would react to the revelation that the political consulting firm misused data from millions of Facebook users, Cook simply said that “he would not be in this situation.”
In his public reply, Zuckerberg called Cook’s comment “glib” and “not at all aligned with the truth.” But later, he saw in a private meeting that Facebook had to hit Apple because he treated the social media giant so badly, the newspaper reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the exchange.
It is not clear when exactly the meeting took place and what its purpose was. But it was just one episode in a battle for privacy, commerce and corporate responsibility, which was fueled by Apple’s efforts to prevent apps from secretly tracking people’s data.
Apple said it will release changes to its iOS 14 software this spring, asking app developers to explicitly ask users for permission to track their data. Facebook aggressively fought the move through an advertising campaign claiming that the changes could affect small businesses and kill the “free internet”.
Zuckerberg even criticized them on Facebook’s earnings call last month, saying that “I clearly follow [Apple’s] competitive interests. ”
Facebook spokesman Dani Lever dismissed the idea that spitting was personal, saying it was, in fact, “the future of free internet.”
“Apple is creating two sets of rules – one for themselves and one for small businesses, app developers and losing consumers,” Lever said in a statement. “Apple claims it’s about privacy, but it’s about profit, and we’re joining others to highlight their self-preference, anti-competitive behavior.”
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
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