Musk threatens to create 'alternative' smartphone if app stores ban Twitter

Jenny Goldsberry

November 26, 01:12 PM November 26, 01:12 PM

Elon Musk is toying with the idea of creating his own smartphone should other phones ban his newest venture Twitter.

Podcaster Liz Wheeler raised a red flag about the possibility that the Apple and Google app stores could remove the social media app from their services. Wheeler suggested in that case, Musk should make his own phone.

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"Half the country would happily ditch the biased, snooping iPhone and Android," Wheeler tweeted Friday. "The man builds rockets to Mars, a silly little smartphone should be easy, right?"

"I certainly hope it does not come to that, but, yes, if there is no other choice, I will make an alternative phone," Musk responded.

A subsequent poll conducted by Wheeler on the platform found that out of the over 120,000 respondents, a slight majority of 51%, would switch to Musk's new phone. Combined, Musk's various companies have produced not only rockets but also electric vehicles and a humanoid robot.

Twitter has lost 50 of its top 100 advertisers in recent weeks. Media Matters produced a report that found these companies previously spent $750 million in advertisements on the platform this year alone but have since disappeared.

A string of controversies has befallen the app since Musk became its CEO in late October. Musk laid off an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 employees while reinstating previously banned Twitter accounts, including that of former President Donald Trump.