Meta Platforms (META) has officially released the Threads application, which is seen as an alternative to Elon Musk's Twitter. Within the first few hours, Threads reached millions of users, sparking curiosity about whether it will take over Twitter, which is currently facing criticism.
Similar to Twitter, users on the Threads app can interact with others' written posts. Since the app is affiliated with Instagram, users are allowed to carry over their existing followers and usernames.
According to Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Meta, Threads gained more than 10 million users within the first 7 hours. Although this number may seem substantial at first glance, it is still far below Twitter's 300 million user count.
In a Threads post, Zuckerberg stated, "There is a need for a public chat application that more than 1 billion people can use. Despite having the opportunity in their hands, Twitter couldn't achieve this. Hopefully, we will succeed."
Zuckerberg made a tweet for the first time in years, honoring Threads. The tweet featured two Spider-Man images, which have now become a popular meme on the internet. It could symbolize Zuckerberg and Musk themselves.
Elon Musk's lawyer, Alex Spiro, sent a letter to Zuckerberg expressing "serious concerns" regarding Twitter's "systematic, intentional, and illegal misuse" of Meta's platform's "trade secrets" and other intellectual property rights.
Spiro mentioned that Meta has hired "dozens" of former Twitter employees who have access to confidential information. He stated that Twitter intends to "vigorously enforce" its intellectual property rights and demanded that Meta take "urgent steps" to cease using Twitter's trade secrets or any other "highly confidential information."
Elon Musk also commented on a tweet sharing this development, stating, "Competition is good; cheating is not."