Fortnite – Paytm founder calls out Google Play Store fees after Elon Musk slams Apple App Store’s tax

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Friday, July 30, extended support to Fortnite maker Epic Games after it found itself embroiled in a legal battle with tech giant Apple over App Store’s legal fees. On Sunday, August 1, Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma extended support to Musk, revealing that in India, Google Play Store which dominated the country’s markets had painted a similar picture. Taking to Twitter, the Paytm founder stated that Google Play Store fees was “costlier than business tax on India’s internet ecosystem”, and amounted to nearly 30%, excluding the GST.

Musk extends support to Fortnite maker

The entire controversy over the legal fees by App Store broke out after Epic Games filed a suit against Apple last summer when its hit game Fortnite was pulled down. Apple claimed that it pulled the game down because Epic Games violated the terms of its developer agreement, when it implemented a payment system in the game that, enabled players to circumvent the Apple App Store. Epic Games, on the other hand, says that the App Store is a monopoly and that iPhones and iPads are no different from computers. 

Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Friday showed his support for Fortnite’s maker Epic Games after it challenged Apple Inc’s fees on its App Store. While taking to Twitter, Musk said that Apple’s fees “are a de facto global tax on the Internet.” He added that Epic Games, which has been alleging that the iPhone maker has abused its dominance in the market for mobile apps, is “right”. 

Moreover, this week, Musk even criticized Apple’s “walled garden” which refers to its tightly controlled tech ecosystem and its usage of cobalt, a key mineral for making lithium-ion batteries. He targeted Apple and alleged that the tech giant uses 100% cobalt in their batteries, laptops, and cell phones whereas his clean energy company uses no cobalt.