Mark Zuckerberg Slams Apple for Lack of Innovation and “Arbitrary” Rules

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has aimed at Apple, accusing the tech giant of stagnating in innovation and imposing arbitrary business practices. During an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Zuckerberg expressed frustration with Apple’s approach to device compatibility and its treatment of developers.

While acknowledging Apple’s early contributions to the tech industry—especially the iPhone—Zuckerberg argued that the company has failed to deliver groundbreaking innovations in recent years. He praised the iPhone for revolutionizing the mobile industry, but he believes Apple has done little to evolve beyond it.

“On the one hand, [the iPhone] has been great because now pretty much everyone in the world has a phone, and that’s enabled a lot of amazing things,” Zuckerberg said. “But on the other hand, they’ve used that platform to put in place a lot of rules that feel arbitrary and like they haven’t really invented anything great in a while.”

Zuckerberg’s criticism was pointed: “It’s like Steve Jobs invented the iPhone, and now they’re just sitting on it 20 years later,” he added.

The Meta founder also highlighted a troubling trend for Apple—the slowing sales of iPhones. He speculated that Apple’s newer models aren’t significantly improving on their predecessors, which has led to fewer consumers upgrading. “I think year over year, I’m not even sure they’re selling more iPhones at this point. I think the sales might actually be declining,” Zuckerberg stated.

Zuckerberg also took issue with Apple’s business practices, accusing the company of profiting by imposing a “30% tax on developers” through its App Store fees. He further criticized Apple’s strategy of limiting third-party device compatibility, which he believes stifles innovation and competition.

Also Read: Biden Administration Pressured Us To Censor Content – Mark Zuckerberg

“So how are they making more money as a company? Well, they do it by basically squeezing people… having this 30% tax on developers and getting you to buy more peripherals and things that plug into it,” Zuckerberg explained. “They’ve just thoroughly hamstrung the ability for anyone else to build something that can connect to the iPhone in the same way.”

One key area of contention for Zuckerberg is Apple’s control over Bluetooth connectivity. He pointed to Apple’s AirPods as an example of how the company locks down its proprietary protocol, making it difficult for other companies to offer similar products that integrate seamlessly with Apple devices. “Apple has a specific protocol… that allows AirPods to connect to the iPhone. If they let anyone else use that protocol, there would probably be much better competitors to AirPods out there,” he said.

Apple often justifies its restrictive policies with concerns over consumer privacy and security. Zuckerberg dismissed these arguments, suggesting that Apple could address security concerns by creating better protocols that allow third-party products to connect securely.

“It’s insecure because you didn’t build any security into it. And now you’re using that as a justification for why only your product can connect easily,” Zuckerberg stated.

Zuckerberg also discussed the challenges Meta faced when trying to integrate its Ray-Ban Metaglasses with Apple devices. Despite asking Apple for permission to use its AirPods protocol, Meta was blocked. Zuckerberg claimed that Apple’s refusal was due to security concerns, which he believes are overblown and serve as a way to protect Apple’s own products from competition.

“It’s like the whole thing is kind of wild,” Zuckerberg said, expressing frustration over the hurdles Meta faced.

Zuckerberg even suggested that if Apple removed its “random rules,” Meta’s business could see significant growth. “If Apple stopped applying its ‘random rules,’ Meta’s profit would double,” he asserted.