Apple’s public outbursts on Facebook made CEO Mark Zuckerberg so bad that he once said the social network had to “inflict pain” on the iPhone maker, according to a report.
The reported comment heralded a bitter feud between the two tech titans that recently came out in the open after years of simmering behind the scenes.
According to the Wall Street Journal (paywall), Zuckerberg expressed his desire for revenge after Apple chief Tim Cook searched Facebook’s data collection practices amid the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018.
When asked how he would respond to the revelation that the political consultancy had misused the data of millions of Facebook users, Cook simply said he “wouldn’t be in this situation.”
In his public response, Zuckerberg called Cook’s comment “slippery” and “completely out of line with the truth.” But later, at a private meeting, he saw that Facebook had to hit Apple back for treating the social media giant so badly, the Journal reported Saturday, citing people familiar with the exchange.
It is unclear exactly when that meeting took place and what its purpose was. But it was just one episode in a battle for privacy, commerce, and corporate responsibility that was heated by Apple’s efforts to stop apps from secretly tracking people’s data.
Apple has said it will make changes to its iOS 14 software this spring, requiring app developers to explicitly ask users for permission to track their data. Facebook has aggressively countered the move with an ad campaign arguing that the changes could harm small businesses and destroy the “ free internet. ”
Zuckerberg even criticized them on Facebook’s earnings call last month, saying they are “clearly tracking [Apple’s] competition interests. “
Facebook spokeswoman Dani Lever rejected the idea that the fight was personal, saying it was in fact about “the future of the free Internet.”
“Apple sets two sets of rules: one for itself and one for small businesses, app developers and consumers who are losing,” Lever said in a statement. “Apple claims it’s about privacy, but it’s about profit, and we’re joining others to point out their self-preferred, anti-competitive behavior.”
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
With pole wires