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Threads: Meta's latest launch was a smash hit

Threads: Meta's latest launch was a smash hit

David Crowther

Twitter vs. Threads

‍Two hours after the official launch of Threads, Meta's text-based rival app to Twitter, Mark Zuckerberg posted that downloads had reached 2 million. After 4 hours, the number was 5 million. From there, momentum only slightly slowed and as of this morning, just over 100 hours since the app's launch, Threads crossed the remarkable threshold of 100 million downloads, per data from Quiver Quantitative.

To put that in context, it took Instagram 2 and a half years to reach the same milestone, while TikTok accomplished the feat in 9 months. Even ChatGPT, which previously held the record for the fastest downloaded app, took 2 months to reach 100 million users. Driving Threads' rapid growth is its seamless integration with Instagram, making it effortless for the platform's 2 billion users to link their accounts to a new Threads one.

‍Threading the needle

‍Twitter’s owner Elon Musk, is not taking Threads lightly. On the day of launch, he threatened legal action, alleging that Meta had poached Twitter employees to develop the app and used confidential information. Meta’s response was "that's just not a thing." Nonetheless, Meta does have a track record of adopting elements from competitors, whether it be Stories resembling Snapchat, Reels imitating TikTok, or even Facebook's origins emulating features from MySpace and Friendster. While Threads bears a resemblance to Twitter in terms of layout, it also has distinctive elements such as being more mobile-focused and no hashtags whatsoever.

Of course, it’s impossible to know how much traction Threads would have got without integration with Instagram. But, as the battle between Meta and Twitter unfolds, which may still get physical, Threads has made a significant statement in getting to 100 million users. The next question is: will they stay?

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