Google’s attempt to throw shade at Tim Cook didn’t go as well as planned

Whether it’s Wendy’s mocking McDonald’s or Adidas joking about Nike, we see brands go after each other all the time, especially on Twitter. But if you’re going to try and own a rival, you can’t make mistakes. Google learned that the hard way yesterday.

To tease a new product his company was getting ready to reveal, Tim Cook went on Twitter to release the following tweet:

While it seems like a pretty innocuous tweet, there’s an issue with the hashtag Cook used. As it turns out, the NBA’s Utah Jazz had been using #TakeNote since 2016 and was currently using the hashtag for a promotion where it would show fans’ social media photos on video boards hanging over center court, according to the Associated Press. After Cook used the hashtag in his tweet, however, it became Apple’s hashtag that is now accompanied by an Apple logo emoji.

Apple’s accidental co-opting of the hashtag resulted in a lot of upset Jazz fans. Seeing this as a prime opportunity to promote its Pixel phones, Google’s social media team slid into Cook’s mentions saying:

“Hmmm ok, I See You. NBA fans…#TeamPixel is here to get you closer to your favorite team – tell us yours and we might be able to make your NBA Tip-Off even better.

However, sharp-eyed Twitter user Ian Zelbo noticed something odd about Google’s tweet. It appeared that whoever sent to tweet did it with an iPhone.

Google quickly deleted the tweet after getting called out and sent the message again, but this time from Twitter for Web. But Google should know that when you’re trying to throw shade, you only get one chance to get it right.