Elon Musk criticizes Apple for app store wall and cobalt
In the quarterly results, the Teslachef praises its own battery chemistry and hands it out against the iPhone manufacturer.
At the quarterly conference call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk took Apple under fire twice. The so-called “earnings call” is used to ask investors questions about business conduct. When asked about the use of cobalt in car battery packs, Musk referred directly to the iPhone maker. Even when asked about opening the Supercharger, he didn’t miss it. the Taunts fell to 9to5mac.com on.
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Tesla uses “almost no cobalt”
The relevant question looked at the use of cobalt in Tesla’s supply chain. Around 64 percent of cobalt traded worldwide comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Family businesses there often mine the metal, which can lead to child labor and other human rights violations. Musk replied, “Apple, I believe, uses almost 100 percent cobalt in their batteries and cell phones and laptops, but Tesla doesn’t use cobalt in the iron phosphate packs and almost none in the nickel-based chemicals.” two percent compared to, say, 100 percent at Apple ”. His conclusion was: “Anyway, so it’s really not a factor.”
Cobalt from controlled mining
Cobalt is not considered a conflict material by US standards. Still, it has traditionally had a bad rap due to child labor and illegal activities by warlords. Since 2010, Apple has been documenting the origin of the raw materials that the group purchases from suppliers to build the products – right down to the individual mines. This distinguishes the declaration from many other manufacturers who only list the smelters that have in turn been certified as “conflict-free” by third parties. The iPhone manufacturer, however, has sent teams according to their own statementswho “thousands of hours on the ground” – the Democratic Republic of the Congo is explicitly mentioned – identified risks and investigated human rights concerns. In addition, the Group is working through the “Responsible Sourcing” program to improve local conditions. The report says, “We made a conscious decision to stay in touch with mines and smelters that do not yet meet our high standards and will work with them to develop responsible practices.” for Global Rights and other NGOs together.
It sounds different at Tesla: “As Tesla has recognized the higher risks of human rights issues within cobalt supply chains, especially for child labor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), we have made significant efforts to establish processes that remove these risks from our supply chain.” As recently as 2019 Tesla started attempts to come into contact with mines.
Musk: Apple’s app store as a “walled garden”
When asked whether Tesla would open the Supercharger network to other manufacturers, Musk handed it out again. He said, “I think we want to emphasize that our goal is to support the emergence of sustainable energy. It’s not about creating a walled garden and using it to slay our competitors as some companies do. ”Then he gave a fake cough and added,“ Apple ”. The Cupertino company has been criticized for years for its closed app store ecosystem. It is currently in a legal dispute with Epic Games about this. The US government recently commissioned the authorities to conduct cartel investigations in order to scrutinize the market barriers of tech companies.
Musk likes to fire at Apple
Elon Musk has already excelled in the past with disrespectful statements against Apple. In the poaching battle for car developers, he said, for example: “Important engineers? They hired people that we fired. We jokingly call Apple the Tesla cemetery. ”According to reports, Apple is working on its own electric car, which should be released in 2024.
