Twitter has issued a legal threat against Meta shortly after the launch of Threads, an app created by Instagram’s parent company.
The intention behind Threads is to surpass the struggling Twitter platform, which is owned by Elon Musk. In a cease-and-desist letter addressed to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Musk’s lawyer accused the company of unlawfully using Twitter’s trade secrets and intellectual property.
The letter alleged that Meta had hired numerous former Twitter employees who had access to confidential information.
Elon Musk responded to the letter on Twitter, stating, “Competition is fine, cheating is not.” Threads represents the most significant competitor to Musk’s Twitter so far, despite the emergence of other potential rivals. The ongoing rivalry between Zuckerberg and Musk has escalated, with the two billionaires even agreeing to a cage match.
Zuckerberg’s first tweet in over a decade featured a Spiderman meme, drawing attention to the similarities between Threads and Twitter. Threads was released on the Apple and Android app stores in 100 countries, receiving positive early feedback for its resemblance to Twitter but on a smaller scale.
— Mark Zuckerberg (@finkd) July 6, 2023
Within hours, over 30 million people had downloaded the app. High-profile individuals and media outlets already had active accounts on Threads. Zuckerberg expressed his optimism about the app’s potential, aiming for it to become a public conversations platform with over a billion users.
While Twitter claims to have over 200 million daily users, Threads aims to capture a significant portion of Instagram’s two billion monthly users. Meta hopes that Threads will attract celebrities, companies, and politicians as its go-to platform.
Analysts believe that Threads only needs a fraction of Instagram’s monthly users to rival the size of Twitter’s user base. The chaotic state of Musk’s ownership of Twitter, marked by minimal content moderation and abrupt decisions, has pushed Zuckerberg to capitalize on the opportunity.
Musk has also fired a substantial portion of Twitter’s staff, potentially leading some employees to join other tech companies, including Meta. However, Meta faces criticism, particularly in Europe, where its growth may be hindered.
Concerns about data privacy and Meta’s handling of personal information have been raised, and the company’s launch in the European Union was delayed due to regulatory uncertainties. The Digital Markets Act (DMA) imposes strict rules on major internet companies, including restrictions on transferring user data between platforms like Threads and Instagram.
