30M+ People Signed Up for Threads Launch. Here's 9 Things to Know
There’s a new social media platform in town.
When Elon Musk finalized his deal to buy Twitter in 2022, the social media platform launched in 2006 by CEO Jack Dorsey, there was a mass exodus. On Thursday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg launched the rival social media platform to Twitter, Threads. And within hours of its launch, Thread has already amassed more than 30 million members within 12 hours – a number sure to grow fast. Here is everything you need to know about the latest social media platform.
Threads (www.threads.net) launched on Apple and Android app stores in 100 countries at 7:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday. It was initially scheduled to go live at 10 a.m. EDT Thursday, but the company opted to drop the social media website a little earlier. The app and membership are free, and currently, there are no ads on it.
"Wow, 30 million sign ups as of this morning. Feels like the beginning of something special, but we've got a lot of work ahead to build out the app," Zuckerberg wrote on Threads at 11 a.m. ET on Thursday.
For Meta users, the platform is incredibly easy to use. All you need to do is download the app. It will ask you if you want to sign in using your Instagram credentials. If you opt to do this, you can fill in your new Threads profile with the same information and even add all of the same people you follow on Instagram. Threads was intended to build "an open and friendly platform for conversations," Instagram chief Adam Mosseri told users. "The best thing you can do if you want that too is be kind."
Many experts believe that Threads will be a hit. "It's as simple as that: if an Instagram user with a large number of followers such as Kardashian or a Bieber or a Messi begins posting on Threads regularly, a new platform could quickly thrive," strategic financial analyst Brian Wieser said on Substack. Analyst Jasmine Engberg from Insider Intelligence added that Threads needs one out of four Instagram monthly users "to make it as big as Twitter." And, he thinks it will happen. "Twitter users are desperate for an alternative, and Musk has given Zuckerberg an opening," she added.
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The Twitter community isn't going down without a fight. "On Twitter, everyone's voice matters. Whether you're here to watch history unfold, discover REAL-TIME information all over the world, share your opinions, or learn about others — on Twitter YOU can be real. YOU built the Twitter community. And that's irreplaceable. This is your public square. We're often imitated — but the Twitter community can never be duplicated."We're often imitated — but the Twitter community can never be duplicated," Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino tweeted.
6
Twitter Threatens Legal Action
Twitter has issued a legal threat against Threads, alleging that Meta unlawfully employed former Twitter staff to develop a copycat application. Twitter's lawyer, Alex Spiro, accused Meta of systematically misappropriating Twitter's trade secrets and intellectual property. However, Meta has denied these allegations, stating that they are unfounded.
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Meta Responds to Elon Musk's Lawsuit Threat
Meta has swiftly responded to Elon Musk's lawsuit threat, stating that none of the app's staff are former Twitter employees. Meta's Communications Director, Andy Stone, addressed the issue, stating unequivocally, "To be clear: No one on the Threads engineering team is a former Twitter employee – that's just not a thing." In response to Twitter's lawsuit threat, Elon Musk commented, "Competition is fine, cheating is not."
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Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg Ultimate Cage Fight
It was not the first time Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have engaged in a playful exchange on social media, with Musk challenging Zuckerberg to a cage match last month. Musk posted a tweet expressing his readiness for the fight, to which Zuckerberg responded with a message saying, "send me location." Musk then suggested holding the match in Vegas, mentioning the Octagon, the fenced-in area used for UFC fights. While the challenge may not be entirely serious, Musk added humorously that he has a move called "The Walrus," where he would lie on top of his opponent and do nothing.
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How the Beef Started
There's been tension between Musk and Zuckerberg for years, ever since Musk's SpaceX rocket exploded on the ground in 2016 with a Facebook satellite aboard. Musk has recently dissed Zuckerberg's understanding of AI and deleted his company's Facebook pages, saying the company's aggressive expansion "gives him the willies."