Twitter is contemplating taking legal action against Meta, the parent company of Instagram, over its fast-growing rival app Threads. Meta has positioned Threads as a “friendly” alternative to Twitter, but Twitter’s CEO, Elon Musk, stated that while competition is acceptable, cheating is not. However, Meta has denied allegations made in a legal letter that former Twitter employees played a role in creating Threads.
According to Meta, over 30 million people have already signed up for Threads since its launch on Wednesday. The app bears a resemblance to Twitter, with its news feed and reposting features feeling familiar to users, as noted by BBC News technology reporter James Clayton.
Twitter’s attorney, Alex Spiro, sent a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, accusing Meta of unlawfully misappropriating Twitter’s trade secrets and intellectual property to develop Threads. Spiro claimed that Meta had hired numerous ex-Twitter staff who had access to confidential information, enabling Meta to create what he referred to as a “copycat” app. The letter demanded that Meta immediately cease using Twitter’s trade secrets and confidential information, stating that Twitter reserves the right to seek legal remedies without further notice.
Both Meta and Twitter have been approached for comments by BBC News, which obtained a copy of the legal letter. In response to a post referencing the letter, Elon Musk emphasized that competition is acceptable but cheating is not.
The rivalry between Threads and Twitter has been acknowledged by both Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. While Threads is linked to Instagram, it operates as a standalone app. Mark Zuckerberg broke over 11 years of Twitter silence to share a popular meme depicting two nearly identical Spider-Man figures pointing at each other, symbolizing a stand-off. In response, Elon Musk commented that it is preferable to face criticism from strangers on Twitter than to indulge in the superficial happiness of Instagram.
Threads, which launched in 100 countries, allows posts of 500 characters and 5-minute videos, surpassing Twitter’s limits of 280 characters and 2 minutes and 20 seconds, respectively. While both platforms enable links, photos, and deleting posts, Twitter offers additional features such as direct messaging, trending stories, and hashtags, which Threads lacks. Threads incorporates a verification system, which on Twitter is part of the paid services along with longer posts, videos, and an editing function.
Twitter’s CEO, Linda Yaccarino, tweeted that while the platform is often imitated, it can never be duplicated. Both Meta and Twitter have undergone significant layoffs this year, with Meta announcing a reduction of approximately 10,000 staff members in April, and Twitter experiencing waves of redundancies following Elon Musk’s takeover, resulting in a substantial loss of its 7,500 employees.