Threads, the text-based messaging app by Instagram, has achieved a remarkable milestone with over 72 million users. Discover more about this new alternative to Twitter from Meta and learn about Twitter’s reaction to its growing competition.
The Success of Threads App
Threads, an Instagram app designed for text-based messaging, has witnessed a significant surge in its user base, surpassing 72 million users.
Instagram profiles now display number badges indicating the duration of users’ presence on Threads, and the count has surpassed an impressive 72 million accounts. The app experienced an exceptional growth rate, as within just 24 hours of its launch, Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, the parent company of Instagram, proudly announced that Threads had already garnered 30 million users.
Twitter’s Response: Threatening Legal Action
In response to the rising competition posed by Threads, Twitter retaliated with a legal threat against Meta. Twitter implied that Meta had hired former Twitter employees with access to trade secrets, thus prompting the lawsuit.
Alex Spiro, the lawyer representing Twitter, sent a letter to Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, stating their intention to sue Meta. In the letter, Spiro alleges that Threads, the new app owned by Meta, was developed using trade secrets obtained from Twitter. The letter accused Meta of hiring numerous former Twitter employees who had access to confidential information.
According to the news outlet Semafor, Twitter wasted no time in threatening legal action against Meta for the introduction of Threads. Alex Spiro, representing Twitter, accused Meta of employing tactics that involved the use of Twitter’s trade secrets by “hiring dozens of former employees of the blue-bird app.” Twitter’s owner, Elon Musk, voiced his stance on the matter, expressing support for healthy competition while strongly condemning any form of cheating. Musk responded to a news article on Twitter, stating, “Competition is fine, cheating is not.”
The letter from Spiro, who also serves as Musk’s personal lawyer, asserts that Meta engaged in the “systematic, willful, and unlawful misappropriation of Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property” in the development of Threads. Twitter claims that its former employees still had access to confidential information, which was utilized to create a “copycat” app, violating both state and federal laws.
Spiro emphasized Twitter’s commitment to enforcing its intellectual property rights and demanded that Meta immediately cease using any Twitter trade secrets or highly confidential information. The letter served as a formal notice for Meta to preserve relevant documents in anticipation of a potential dispute between the two companies. In response, Andy Stone, a spokesperson for Meta, affirmed in a Threads post that the engineering team behind Threads does not include any former Twitter employees.
Twitter’s CEO Acknowledges the Threat
Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino indirectly addressed the situation surrounding Threads by tweeting, “We’re often imitated — but the Twitter community can never be duplicated.” This statement suggests that the legal action taken by Twitter signifies Musk’s recognition of Threads as a genuine threat to Twitter’s dominance in the social media landscape.
Threads: Challenging Twitter’s Dominance
Threads, leveraging Instagram’s vast user base, aims to compete directly with Twitter. Within a mere 18 hours of its launch on Wednesday, the app attracted over 30 million sign-ups. This impressive response indicates that many individuals are seeking alternatives to Twitter, driven in part by dissatisfaction with Musk’s management of the platform since his acquisition of it for $44 billion last year.
In conclusion, Threads has rapidly gained popularity, surpassing 72 million users within a short span of time. As the app continues to grow, Twitter’s legal action highlights the perceived threat posed by Threads to the social media giant. The battle between these platforms intensifies as users seek fresh alternatives to Twitter in their quest for a more fulfilling online experience.
Source: Hindustan Times
Disclaimer: The above article has been written with reference to Hindustan Times (hindustantimes.com). The information and facts presented in the article have been sourced from Hindustan Times' original article. The author and the publication do not assume responsibility for any errors. For more details, please refer to the original and sourced article on hindustantimes.com.
