Elon Musk and Apple deny wild story that he tried to exchange Tim Cook

Tesla CEO Elon Musk reportedly demanded to develop into Apple’s CEO in a 2016 cellphone name with present Apple CEO Tim Cook, based on an upcoming e-book about Tesla. The story, shared by the Los Angeles Times, comes from Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century by The Wall Street Journal reporter Tim Higgins.

As the e-book tells it, Cook urged to Musk that Apple purchase Tesla, and Musk mentioned he wished to be CEO. Cook reportedly agreed, however Musk clarified that he wished to be the CEO of Apple. “According to a former aide who heard (Musk’s) retelling of the exchange,” Cook mentioned “Fuck you” earlier than hanging up the cellphone.

But Musk and Apple have each urged that the dialog couldn’t have occurred as a result of Musk and Cook have by no means spoken.

Musk, in a tweet on Friday, flat out said that “Cook & I have never spoken or written to each other ever.” He additionally mentioned that he tried to fulfill with Cook about Apple buying Tesla, a gathering that Cook refused. (Musk beforehand mentioned this tried assembly in December.)

When requested for remark concerning the reported dialog, Apple pointed to remarks Cook made throughout an interview with The New York Times’ Kara Swisher the place he denied having ever spoken to Elon. “You know, I’ve never spoken to Elon, although I have great admiration and respect for the company he’s built,” Cook said.

Musk additionally claims that a lot of the e-book is fake. “Higgins managed to make his book both false *and* boring,” Musk said in a tweet on Friday:

And Musk apparently tried to sprint chilly water on the e-book whereas it was being written, telling Higgins that a lot of the e-book was “nonsense,” based on the Los Angeles Times.

Musk apparently didn’t take part within the creation of “Power Play.” In an writer’s word on the finish, Higgins writes that Musk “was given numerous opportunities to comment on the stories, facts, and characterizations presented in these pages. Without pointing to any specific inaccuracies, he offered simply this: ‘Most, but not all, of what you read in this book is nonsense.’”

Higgins and a consultant for the e-book’s writer haven’t replied to a request for remark.

Shortly after tweeting that he has by no means met Cook, Musk tweeted in help of Epic’s battle in opposition to Apple and its guidelines on the App Store. “Apple app store fees are a de facto global tax on the Internet,” Musk said. “Epic is right.”