Elon Musk Mocks Steve Jobs, Agrees Apple Could Be 'Light Years' Ahead Of Competition If It Embraced Open Source: 'Cultural Legacy'

Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk mocked Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs over the iPhone maker's reluctance to open source its technologies.

What Happened: On Thursday, Musk took to X, formerly Twitter, to express his views on Apple’s approach to open source.

He agreed with a post that said Apple could be "light years ahead of their competition" if they embraced open source.

Musk called it "Steve's cultural legacy."

Steve's cultural legacy

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 30, 2024

While Apple's operating systems like iOS, macOS, and iPadOS, among others, are not open source, Jobs does have a history of using open-source software.

For instance, macOS uses several open-source components like Darwin, which is an open-source operating system developed by Apple. It includes technologies developed by Jobs' NeXT before he came back to Apple.

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Jobs had also promised to open source FaceTime, a popular audio and video calling feature on iPhones, iPads, and Macs. While that eventually did not happen, it does suggest Jobs was not as averse to open source as Musk implied.

Why It Matters: Musk’s post suggests a divergence in the philosophies of two of the tech industry’s most influential figures.

While Jobs was known for his closed, tightly controlled ecosystem, Musk has often advocated for more open systems. This is evident in his management of Tesla, where he has pushed for open-source practices.

However, Musk has not always disagreed with Jobs' philosophies. Earlier, he agreed with the Apple co-founder's approach to finding top talent.

Musk and Jobs' biographer also compared the billionaire to the Apple co-founder, but added that Musk is in a "league of his own" and is a "serial tasker."

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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