In an impressive feat, the Threads app introduced by Instagram to rival Twitter has garnered over 100 million users in less than five days, according to data tracking websites. This milestone surpasses the previous record set by the AI tool ChatGPT as the fastest-growing consumer app.
ChatGPT attained an impressive user count of 100 million within two months, while TikTok, the popular video-sharing app, accomplished this feat in nine months. Notably, Instagram itself, which launched the Threads app, took around two and a half years to reach the 100 million user mark after its introduction in 2010.
The much-anticipated launch of Threads took place on Wednesday across the Apple and Android app stores in 100 countries, with the exception of Europe. Meta, the parent company, is currently evaluating the intricacies of the European Union’s data privacy legislation in order to determine the best approach for making the app accessible in Europe while ensuring compliance.
Twitter, which is believed to have a substantial user base of around 200 million regular users, has experienced recurrent technical disruptions since Elon Musk acquired the platform and enacted sweeping workforce reductions.
Read also: Meta To Introduce Twitter Alternative, Threads App
The decisions made by Elon Musk, who is also the head of Tesla and SpaceX, to introduce charges for previously free services and to allow banned right-wing accounts back on the platform, have caused many users to feel alienated and dissatisfied.
Although several competitors have entered the market, many of them are niche platforms that lack the capability to achieve the necessary scale required to overthrow Twitter’s dominant position
The association with Instagram, which has amassed over one billion regular users, is providing Threads with a notable advantage, allowing the app to tap into a vast user pool and experience relatively smoother growth.
According to Quiver Quantitative’s data service, the app achieved a significant milestone of surpassing 100 million users precisely at 07:00 GMT on Monday.
Estimates from various websites, which monitor the ‘badges’ earned by Instagram users who have installed Threads, suggest that the app reached over 100 million users earlier than the reported time.
In a controversial move, Musk warned of a potential lawsuit against Meta, the company behind Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, alleging the theft of trade secrets and intellectual property. Meta, on the other hand, has vehemently denied these allegations.
A rivalry between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg has escalated to the point where the two have engaged in public verbal sparring, culminating in a playful challenge for a cage fight.
