14 DAY TRIAL // Facebook is on thin ice right now following the Cambridge Analytica fiasco, and one of those who criticized the company for the way it handled user data was none other than Apple CEO Tim Cook.
In a recent interview, Cook said he’d never end up on Mark Zuckerberg’s situation because Apple treats user data and privacy in a completely different way, pointing to the company’s policy of verifying every single app published in the App Store as living proof.
The time has come for Facebook’s founder to issue a response, and in a Vox podcast, Zuckerberg explains that paying more for an Apple product doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re going to be treated differently.
“You know, I find that argument, that if you’re not paying that somehow we can’t care about you, to be extremely glib – and not at all aligned with the truth,” he said.
“If you want to build a service which is not just serving rich people, then you need to have something people can afford. I think it’s important that we don’t all get Stockholm syndrome, and let the companies that work hard to charge you more, convince you that they actually care more about you, because that sounds ridiculous to me.”
“Make devices cheaper to show that you care”
Zuckerberg hasn’t necessarily pointed the finger at Apple for overcharging customers, but this isn’t the first time the Facebook founder would accuse Cupertino for its high prices on devices. Back in 2014, following Tim Cook saying that “you’re not the customer, you’re the product” on free online services, Zuckerberg blasted Apple for the premium prices on its devices.
“I think it’s the most ridiculous concept. What, you think because you’re paying Apple that you’re somehow in alignment with them? If you were in alignment with them, then they’d make their products a lot cheaper!” he said at that time.
The catfight is likely to continue, but right now, Facebook isn’t exactly in the right position to discuss what other companies do. For what it’s worth, Facebook’s shares continued their decline to reach $155.39 on Tuesday.