Mark Zuckerberg Launches Twitter Rival App 'Threads'

Mark Zuckerberg's new "Twitter killer" app Threads has officially arrived. And the CEO of its parent company Meta took no time to use it as an opportunity to take a jab at the social media platform owned by his business rival Elon Musk. 

Zuckerberg hadn't tweeted since January 18, 2012, at which time he asked people to "tell your congressmen you want them to be pro-internet." But on Wednesday, as soon as Threads launched, he posted a popular Spider-Man meme in which two identical Spidermen are pointing at each other. 

He didn't include a caption – but no words were needed. 

Zuckerberg and Musk have grown to be social media business rivals, with the two going so far as to agree to fight in a cage match. The meme is seemingly a reference to Threads' launch, as the app was designed to be a direct competitor with Twitter. 

"Our vision is to take the best parts of Instagram and create a new experience for text, ideas, and discussing what's on your mind," Zuckerberg said in an Instagram post on Wednesday. "I think the world needs this kind of friendly community, and I'm grateful to all of you who are part of Threads from day one." 

The platform is visually very similar to Twitter, with people posting status updates that can be liked, commented on, reposted and shared. 

"Whether you're a creator or a casual poster, Threads offers a new, separate space for real-time updates and public conversations," Meta's press release about its launch says. "...Our vision with Threads is to take what Instagram does best and expand that to text, creating a positive and creative space to express your ideas."

It hasn't taken long for many people to join the platform. Within the first few hours of its launch, Zuckerberg said that more than 10 million people had signed up, though his ultimate goal is significantly higher. 

"It'll take some time, but I think there should be a public conversations app with 1 billion+ people on it," he said on Threads. "Twitter has had the opportunity to do this but hasn't nailed it. Hopefully we will."

Twitter had about 368 million monthly active users as of December, according to Statista, but the website says that number is expected to drop by about 5% by 2024. 

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