Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has once again drawn sharp contrasts between his company and Apple, reigniting a long-standing rivalry with Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook. During an episode of the Acquired podcast released Tuesday, Zuckerberg emphasized the stark differences in business philosophies between the two tech giants.
“I think in a lot of ways we’re like the opposite of Apple,” Zuckerberg said, praising Meta’s fast-paced approach to innovation, in contrast to Apple’s carefully controlled, polished ecosystem. “They take a long time to perfect something before launching, but that’s not how we operate.”
Zuckerberg pointed to Meta’s openness, particularly in initiatives like open-sourcing its Llama AI model, as a key difference from Apple’s walled garden of exclusive products. He suggested that Apple’s perfectionism often stifles innovation by prioritizing praise over user feedback, whereas Meta values quick execution, learning from failures along the way.
Image: Google Finance
Meta’s rollercoaster year—with Threads briefly exploding to 100 million users before seeing engagement plummet, and its Metaverse project facing a $46.5 billion setback—hasn’t stopped Zuckerberg from adding $58 billion to his fortune in 2024. Despite these challenges, Zuckerberg touted Meta’s iterative approach to product development, which he believes allows for greater growth through constant improvement.
The feud between Meta and Apple stretches back nearly a decade, intensifying in 2014 when Cook criticized Facebook’s data practices. Recently, Meta has pushed for stricter government regulations on social media platforms, calling for companies like Apple and Google to enforce stricter age restrictions—a move Apple opposed. Zuckerberg fanned the flames further by naming Apple Meta’s “primary competitor” in the podcast, though Cook has downplayed the rivalry, saying, “We’re not in the social networking business.”
Despite their differences, both CEOs lead two of the most powerful tech companies in the world, with their contrasting philosophies defining the broader landscape of innovation and competition in Silicon Valley.
