Apple has ‘lost all sight of the tech industry’s founding principles,’ says Epic Games CEO

After Apple’s countersuit requesting damages caused by Epic Games’ breach of contract, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said that Apple is losing “all sight of the tech industry’s founding principles.” Sweeney referred his comment to Apple’s claim that the ongoing legal dispute is “nothing more than a basic disagreement over money,” in a Twitter thread.

Presumably they're just posturing for the court, but if Apple truly believes the fight over the App Store's distribution and payment monopoly is a "basic disagreement over money," then they've lost all sight of the tech industry's founding principles.https://t.co/349RHLqKYa

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) September 9, 2020

He restated the reasons behind ‌Epic’s campaign against Apple’s ‌App Store‌ policies and talked up about creator rights. Sweeney winded up his tweets saying this is a fight for change, instead.

The rights of users and creators are the FOUNDATION of this dispute. Money is several layers removed, as the medium of exchange between users who choose to buy digital items, and the creators who made them. Epic isn't even seeking monetary damages. We are fighting for change!

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) September 9, 2020

It all started after Fortnite added its own direct payments that bypassed App Store’s in-app purchase system last month. Since then, the duo are in a legal fight, with next hearing due on September 28.