Meta Launches Threads, Betting Instagram Mojo Can Take on Twitter With New App

livemint.com:

Let the battle begin. Facebook parent Meta Platforms on Wednesday launched Threads, a stand-alone microblogging app that takes direct aim at Twitter as user unrest on that platform has grown since Elon Musk took the company over in October.

Threads, which began allowing some posts earlier this week from people including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and journalists and celebrities, rolled out to users around the world. The app will use some of Instagram’s infrastructure and allow people to use their Instagram login, a step that is likely to help it gain a following quickly, analysts have said.

Zuckerberg said in a post on the app that it gained 2 million sign-ups in the first two hours after its release. “This is a space Twitter has been in and led for a while, but our perspective here is that there is an opportunity and people are looking for more choices," said Connor Hayes, Instagram’s vice president of product.

A few hours after Threads went live, Musk tweeted: “It is infinitely preferable to be attacked by strangers on Twitter, than indulge in the false happiness of hide-the-pain Instagram." Meta moved aggressively in recent weeks to launch Threads, accelerating the timing on several occasions as Twitter users began to revolt after Musk late last week imposed limits on how many posts users can see a day. It is launching without advertising following the company’s pattern of seeking a critical mass of engaged users before giving priority to profit and revenue.