Snapchat CEO Says ‘Happy to Pay Apple 30% Commission, Wouldn’t Exist Without iPhone’

BY Sanuj Bhatia

Published 21 May 2021

snapchat ceo tim cook

Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel, in an interview with CNBC, has said that he’s happy to pay Apple a 30% commission out of App Store purchases. During the interview, he even appreciated iOS 14‘s new App Tracking Transparency feature.

During the ongoing Epic Games vs Apple trial, Snap — the company that owns Snapchat — has said that they are ‘happy’ to pay Apple a cut out of every in-app purchase. He says that it is a genuine cut that Apple takes in exchange for the ‘amazing technology’ the company provides to the app developers.

“We really feel like Snapchat wouldn’t exist without the iPhone and without the amazing platform that Apple has created,” Spiegel said on TechCheck. “In that sense, I’m not sure we have a choice about paying the 30% fee, and of course, we’re happy to do it in exchange for all of the amazing technology that they provide to us in terms of the software but also in terms of their hardware advancements.”

In case you’re unaware, Apple takes a 30% cut out of every in-app purchase made on iPhone. This high commission cut was the main reason why Epic spat out at Apple and the reason why its Fortnite was thrown out of the App Store. Spiegel says that’s fine for Apple to take the cut since the company wouldn’t exist without the iPhone.

When asked about App Tracking Transparency, Spiegel said that the company is ‘aligned’ to help protect user privacy.

“We’re really aligned with them on the changes they’re making to help protect privacy,” Spiegel said. “And so far, the early investments we made starting almost 10 years ago to protect user privacy on our platform are really paying off.”

Spiegel’s comments go against the company’s claims. Snapchat has voiced concerns over the App Tracking Transparency feature and even has developed an alternative to it. The company even started showing the dubious app tracking prompt a few days ago.

[Via CNBC]