Speaking at Stripe Sessions 2025, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg didn’t miss the opportunity to frame Apple as the foe—and Google as the friend. Stripe CEO and co-founder John Collison asked Zuckerberg about Apple after the latest U.S. court decision that forced Apple to loosen its App Store rules.
“Tim’s had a bad week,” Zuckerberg quipped. “I’m not gonna pile on, but I like Sundar.”
Points for performative restraint with a wink, but the gap between Apple and Google on app marketplace openness is more about degree than principle. Epic Games, for one, is just as frustrated with Google over anti-steering restrictions and ongoing antitrust battles.
Still, when it comes to pointed jabs, Apple CEO Tim Cook arguably set the bar years earlier. Asked how he would respond if he were in Zuckerberg’s shoes during the Facebook-Congress privacy hearings, Cook deadpanned: “I wouldn’t be in this situation.”
Stripe, of course, benefits from Apple being forced to allow out-of-app purchases without taking a commission. The payment processing company is actively encouraging developers to rely on its solution in favor of Apple’s in-app purchase system.
Meanwhile, the real Zuckerberg concern worth your attention this week is his grim view on AI being the solution for isolation and fewer friendships.
The Meta vision of AI — hologram Reelslop and AI friends keeping you company while you eat breakfast alone — is so bleak I almost can’t believe they’re saying it out loud. https://t.co/ysqA68gq8J
— Kevin Roose (@kevinroose) May 2, 2025
nope, nope, nope
the solution is to reconnect with old friends you’ve lost touch with
start chatting with people in public, at coffee shops, at check outs, at gatherings
try new things, go to new places, instead of sitting home all the time go do *something, anything*
and use… https://t.co/fgq3cerSmN
— Parker Ortolani (@ParkerOrtolani) May 1, 2025
Featured image via Ananay
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