Are big corporations finally opening up to cryptocurrencies? Well, back in February, Tesla announced that it had bought $1.5 billion worth of bitcoin, and it was ready to accept it as payment for its electric cars. The enthusiasm was rather short-lived as Elon Musk, in his typical style, tweeted earlier this month that Tesla has suspended vehicle purchases using Bitcoin due to climate change concerns, which angered many crypto investors who accused the billionaire of manipulating the market. However, something much bigger might be brewing somewhere else, which can easily inflate the prices of various cryptocurrencies even further. Apple recently posted a job opening for an “Alternative Payments” business manager that hints at the Cupertino-based company might be getting into cryptocurrencies.
Apple is looking to hire a business development manager to lead its “alternative payments” partnership program. In the job posting, Apple said candidates should have five years or more “working in or with alternative payment providers, such as digital wallets, BNPL [buy now pay later], Fast Payments, cryptocurrency, etc.” The job description states that hired person would be Apple’s chief negotiator for the alternative payments space. The role will include screening potential partners, negotiating and signing deals, and launching new programs and features for Apple’s Wallets Payments and Commerce team.
“Lead the partnership program with key players in the Alternative Payments ecosystem, covering the complete process of partner identification, business case development, and socialization, partnership negotiation, contract signing and execution, go-to-market launch, and continued partnership value growth,” the job listing says. Like all job listings by Apple, the description doesn’t talk about any specific products or any projects in the pipeline that the role would work on. This means we don’t really know Apple’s intentions with cryptocurrencies just yet. It’ll be a great surprise if Apple is interested in working on launching its own crypto as its CEO has been completely against it in the past. “I deeply believe that money must remain in the hands of states,” Cook said in 2019. “I am not comfortable with the idea that a private group creates a competing currency.” So, is Apple looking to accept crypto as payment in the future? Only time will tell, I guess!
[Via: CNBC]
