In this photo illustration the META Threads logo is displayed on a smartphone with the Twitter logo in the background. Threads is the new social network from Meta Platforms that was launched on July 5, 2023.
Omar Marquis | light rocket | fake images
User traffic on Twitter has slowed since the launch of GoalThreads’ text-based platform, which has already surpassed 100 million subscriptions since its debut last week.
Threads launched in the US on Wednesday and is being touted by Meta execs like Instagram boss Adam Mosseri as a more positive “public square” for communities “that never really embraced Twitter.” So far, users seem to be on board.
“Threads hit 100 million signups over the weekend. That’s mostly organic demand and we haven’t activated many promotions yet. I can’t believe it’s only been 5 days!” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a post on Monday.
Twitter seems to have taken a hit. Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince shared a screenshot on Twitter on Sunday showing that traffic on the platform was “slumping.”
Twitter responded to CNBC’s request for comment with an automated response. Meta offered no additional comment beyond Zuckerberg’s post.
Threads’ growth boom is helped by the fact that it is linked to an existing social network, Meta’s Instagram. Users can sign up with their existing Instagram handles and can keep some of their followers while others sign up to the app.
Threads reached the 100 million milestone even faster than OpenAI’s generative chatbot ChatGPT, which surpassed 100 million monthly users in two months.
The app still has plenty of room to grow, as it has yet to launch in Europe, where Mosseri said there is still some regulatory complexity to navigate. If Threads can retain its user base, it could cement its position as a real competitor to Twitter, which reported nearly 238 million monetizable daily active users in its latest quarterly earnings report as a public company last summer.
Twitter owner Elon Musk appears to have shown some concern for Threads, as his lawyer Alex Spiro wrote a letter to Meta accusing the company of “illegal misappropriation” of trade secrets.
Musk and Zuckerberg also fired over the weekend, as Zuckerberg mocked Musk’s tweeting style and Musk called Zuckerberg a derogatory name.
