Elon Musk is threatening Zuckerberg with legal action. His lawyers are accusing Meta of hiring former-Twitter developers to build the new rival app Threads. Apparently they used "trade secrets" to make the platform, and he thinks it's cheating.
If you haven't downloaded Threads yet, it's effectively a Twitter clone. And just reading that probably makes a decent number of you even more sure you don't want to get it. But if you're using Twitter regularly then you might want to consider simply switching to Threads and abandoning Twitter. You don't need to add another social media account to your roster, just exchange one for the other.
But whether you should switch or not depends entirely on your answer to this question: Do you prefer Elon Musk's lawless approach to Twitter, or would you rather return to a more moderated platform? Because Threads is clearly trying to offer users who dislike the new version of Twitter a home. Zuckerberg and co. have quite shrewdly realized that there's a huge demographic of (let's face it) left-wing users that dislike all the hate that now goes unpunished and uncensored.
Of course, It's unlikely that Threads will ever "kill Twitter"; there will always be those who gravitate to less moderated platforms, hence 4chan still exists. But, recent figures suggest Threads will pose a genuine threat to Twitter. The figures are so good in fact that Elon Musk has already threatened Meta with legal action...
Threads Explodes In Popularity, Elon Musk Deploys Lawyers
Threads has already reached 80 million users in just three days, and is on course to reach 100 million users within five days (it took Twitter about five years). But now Elon Musk is accusing Zuckerberg of hiring ex-Twitter devs to help him build Threads using "trade secrets". What a story, it's like a bunch of dropped players forming a super group to win against their old teammates.
Per CNN Business:
The letter by Alex Spiro, an outside lawyer for Twitter owner Elon Musk, alleged that Meta had engaged in “systematic, willful, and unlawful misappropriation of Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property". The letter goes on to say that Meta hired former Twitter employees who “have improperly retained Twitter documents and electronic devices” and that Meta “deliberately” involved these employees in developing Threads.
And this wasn't just coming from the suits at Twitter corporate. It seems that this stance also came from Elon Musk personally, who later confirmed that his opinions aligned with those expressed in the legal complaint.
It's unlikely that this legal threat will ever develop into something more concrete, but even if it did, Zuckerberg and Musk have such unimaginable wealth that neither can use the court system to bully the other out of business. The fines wouldn't make a dent. But what these legal threats do signal is quite interesting: Threads is clearly more of a competitor than many first believed.
If Threads does reach the 100 million figure in just five days, then it would set new records in the social media space. Bear in mind, TikTok needed all of nine months to reach 100 million users.
We're sure if Threads does continue to see impressive growth then Elon Musk will have something to say about it, in which case we will be "first on the scene". Until then, consider delving into the twisted mind of Colleen Ballinger, or if you would rather something lighter: