Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the company will not draw a certain percentage of creators’ income until 2023. The policy covers paid online activities, fan subscriptions, badges and "upcoming independent news products" (instant messaging). Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post that when Facebook starts to cut, "it will be less than 30% of Apple and other companies."
He noted Facebook is building a "new payout interface so creators can see how different companies' fees and taxes are impacting their earnings." A Facebook spokesperson told Variety creators will see how much they'll make after taxes, refunds and the in-app purchase fees Apple and Google take when purchases are made through iOS and Android apps. The interface will be on the web only at first and only for paid online events to begin with. That's a clear move to make Facebook seem like a more attractive option than competitors like Twitch, T
witter and Substack.
Facebook made the announcement ahead of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference kicking off on Monday. A Bloomberg report over the weekend suggested Apple will reveal "a control panel that provides in-depth detail on what data are being collected by each third-party app installed on a user’s device." The payout interface might be a response to that move, since Zuckerberg clearly took a shot at Apple in his post.
Apple and Facebook have been at loggerheads for quite some time. One of the major recent bones of contention is an option to limit cross-app tracking in iOS 14.5, which Facebook claimed would impact its ad revenue.
Facebook is certainly not the only major company targeting Apple that has exceeded its 30% revenue cut. Apple and Epic Games are awaiting a ruling on a case related to the App Store monopoly alleged by the Fortnite publisher, including revenue sharing.