Relations between Facebook and Apple have been worsening in recent months. The two tech titans are facing off against each other over their stance on privacy and user data.
Now, according to sources who spoke on anonymity to The Wall Street Journal, Mark Zuckerberg told Facebook staff ‘we need to inflict pain’ on Apple in 2018.
Apparently, the escalation between Facebook and Apple started ticking when Apple CEO Tim Cook gave a TV interview in the midst of Cambridge Analytica that spared the great privacy debate at large. During the interview, Cook said that Apple would never have found itself in the same position as Facebook.
Zuckerberg hit back Cook, calling Cook’s comments about Facebook “extremely glib. In private, Zuckerberg was even harsher. According to the Journal, the CEO of the world”s most popular social media company reportedly told his team that ‘we need to inflict pain’ for treating his company so poorly.
The report comes at a time when Facebook and Apple are on the verge of a legal war. Last month, Apple said it was planning to introduce a new feature in iOS that will stop apps like Facebook from tracking user data for ads on iPhone. In response, Facebook said recent changes to iOS 14 could destroy its advertising business. Facebook also sees this move as an abuse of market power.
In recent days, the news of Facebook getting readying an antitrust lawsuit against Apple has only increased. As per The Information, the lawsuit alleges that Apple abused its market power by forcing third-party developers, including Facebook, to follow a different set of rules that Apple’s own apps aren’t required to follow. It’s not clear if Facebook will proceed with the lawsuit but it does show that the company is serious about a legal battle with Apple.