Stories
Elon Musk Praises EU For Forcing Apple To Adopt USB-C Despite Past Criticism
- •Elon Musk praised European Union regulators on X for making USB-C the standard charging port across Apple products.
- •The praise comes despite Musk having previously called for the EU to be abolished following a 120 million euro fine imposed on X under the Digital Services Act.
- •Musk agreed with users supporting the common charging standard while noting that USB-C firmware can be complex.
- •The EU introduced the common charger legislation in 2022 to reduce electronic waste and save consumers money, a move Apple initially opposed before adopting USB-C for the iPhone 15.
Key Questions Answered
Elon Musk praised European Union regulators on X for making USB-C the standard charging port across all Apple products. Although he previously criticized the bloc and called for it to be abolished, he gave the EU credit where it is due and responded positively to users supporting the common charging standard.
The EU introduced common charger legislation to reduce electronic waste and save consumers money by eliminating the need for multiple different chargers. Regulators estimated the policy could save consumers around €250 million annually and reduce charger waste by about 11,000 tonnes a year.
In December 2025, the European Commission imposed a €120 million fine on X under the Digital Services Act. The regulatory action involved issues regarding the platform's blue verification checkmarks, its advertising repository, and researchers' access to public data.
