The “Threads” application launched by Meta has attracted over 30 million subscribers in its first 18 hours, posing the first real threat to Elon Musk’s owned app, Twitter. “Threads” leverages its access to billions of Instagram users and its similar interface to its competition.
“Threads,” dubbed the “Twitter killer,” topped the charts of free applications on Apple’s App Store in both the United Kingdom and the United States.
The app’s launch comes after Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, and Musk exchanged criticisms for months, even expressing their readiness to engage in a real-life mixed martial arts fight in Las Vegas.
Jasmine Inberg, Senior Analyst at Insider Intelligence, stated, “The fight has begun, and Zuckerberg landed a strong punch in many ways. That’s precisely what can be expected from Meta, exceptional execution and a user-friendly interface.”
According to the news outlet Semaphore, an attorney representing Twitter sent a message to Zuckerberg, threatening legal action against Meta.
Numerous competitors have emerged for Twitter since Musk acquired it in a deal worth $44 billion last year. Since purchasing the popular social media platform, Musk has made a series of chaotic decisions that have caused users and advertisers to turn away from the platform. Musk’s latest move includes limiting the number of tweets users can read daily.
Analysts and experts suggest that Twitter’s stumble paves the way for a competitor with massive financial resources like Meta, particularly due to its ownership of billions of Instagram users and its advertising power.
Nicholas Meir, a marketing professor at Chapman University, stated, “Meta’s launch of Threads comes at the perfect time to give it an opportunity to compete with Twitter and bring it down from its pedestal,” noting the chaos that unfolded on Twitter after the company restricted the number of tweets that users can read per day.
He added, “Threads will have a strong start because it is built upon the massive user base of Instagram. If its users decide to embrace Threads, advertisers will soon follow suit.”
