Twitter CEO Takes Shots At Rival Threads As It Crosses 100M Signups

Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino took a subtle dig at Threads following an announcement by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg that his platform had amassed over 100 million signups in less than a week.

In a tweet, Yaccarino playfully remarked, “Don’t want to leave you hanging by a thread… but Twitter, you really outdid yourselves! Last week, we experienced our highest usage day since February. There’s only ONE Twitter. You know it. I know it.”

Zuckerberg had shared the news of Threads’ milestone, highlighting that the achievement was primarily driven by organic demand, without heavy advertising expenditure. He expressed amazement at the fact that it had only been five days since Threads’ launch.

Instagram boss Adam Mosseri, speaking about Threads, emphasized that the platform’s goal was not to replace Twitter but to provide a public square for communities on Instagram and for those on Twitter and other platforms seeking a less hostile environment for conversations.

Mosseri clarified that while Threads would not discourage or down-rank news or politics, those topics would not be aggressively promoted as they had been in the past. He acknowledged the importance of politics and hard news but emphasized that, from a platform’s perspective, the potential incremental engagement or revenue they might generate was outweighed by the scrutiny, negativity, and integrity risks they entailed.

Mosseri noted that Threads could flourish with other communities such as sports, music, fashion, beauty, and entertainment.

In this exchange, Yaccarino and Mosseri present differing perspectives on the value and direction of social media platforms. While Zuckerberg celebrates Threads’ rapid growth, Yaccarino asserts Twitter’s enduring influence and popularity. Mosseri, on the other hand, focuses on creating a distinct space for meaningful conversations on Instagram, while cautiously navigating the complexities associated with news and politics.