Threads races to 100m users after Thursday’s UK launch
Threads has hit a milestone of 100m users just days after launching as a “friendly” alternative to Twitter.
Meta’s new text-based conversation app went live at midnight on Thursday in the UK.
It quickly gained traction due to its Instagram branding, which allowed users to sign up in just a few clicks with their Instagram account and follow their favourite celebrities and influencers.
But the scale of the sign-ups has taken even Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg by surprise.
After racing to 70m users before the weekend, he said the numbers were “way beyond our expectations”.
Threads is similar in look and feel to Twitter.
It allows users to publish posts up to 500 characters in length and like, share and comment on other “threads”.
The fact that it looks eerily similar to Twitter has rankled Elon Musk.
The Twitter owner said he welcomed competition but not “cheating” after the company threatened to sue Meta for intellectual property theft.
Twitter attorney Alex Spiro also published a statement saying Meta had misappropriated its “trade secrets”.
However, Zuckerberg’s gamble to launch a platform for disgruntled Twitter users appears to have paid off.
Many companies quickly created accounts, too, with advertising experts revealing it could provide a “brand-safe” environment.
In contrast, Twitter has become more polarising under the stewardship of Musk with erratic decision-making and sudden feature changes.
The social media app has also cut its workforce by 80%.
Meta now appears to be in a position to replace Twitter with its vast resources and ability to scale, but it remains to be seen whether it can build on its impressive launch.