Threads, the new app launched by Instagram to compete with Twitter, has taken the internet by storm, attracting over 100 million users in less than five days. This astounding growth rate surpasses the previous record set by the AI tool ChatGPT. It took ChatGPT two months to reach 100 million users, while the popular video-sharing app TikTok achieved the milestone in nine months. Interestingly, it took Instagram itself two and a half years to reach this user count after its launch in 2010.
Threads became available on both Apple and Android app stores in 100 countries last Wednesday, but it has yet to be released in Europe due to concerns over navigating the European Union’s data privacy legislation. Meta, the parent company of Instagram, is currently evaluating how to comply with these regulations.
With Twitter boasting around 200 million regular users, Threads aims to challenge its dominance. Twitter has faced technical failures and user backlash since its acquisition by Elon Musk, who also heads Tesla and SpaceX. Musk’s decisions to introduce charges for previously free services and reinstate banned right-wing accounts have alienated many users.
While various competitors have emerged, most are niche platforms that lack the necessary scale to rival Twitter. Threads, on the other hand, benefits from its integration with Instagram, which has over one billion regular users. As a result, Threads has experienced faster growth.
Read More: Elon Musk Attacks Zuckerberg For Hiring Fired Twitter Employees to Develop Threads App
Data service provider Quiver Quantitative reported that Threads surpassed 100 million users at 0700 GMT on Monday, but other websites, using a count of the “badges” earned by Threads users, claimed the milestone had been reached earlier.
Elon Musk has threatened to sue Meta, accusing them of stealing trade secrets and intellectual property. However, Meta, which also owns Facebook and WhatsApp, denies these claims. Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg have engaged in a public rivalry, with both men recently challenging each other to a cage fight.
