Twitter CEO Appeals to Community Amidst Surge in Popularity of Instagram Threads
Meta’s Threads amasses 30 million users within 12 hours, Twitter CEO emphasizes community’s significance
July 7, 2023
Twitter CEO, Linda Yaccarino, made a heartfelt appeal to the Twitter community on Thursday in response to the swift rise in popularity of Meta’s Instagram Threads, which garnered an impressive 30 million users in just 12 hours. Yaccarino urged Twitter users to stay united, emphasizing the importance of their voices on the platform.
In a heartfelt post, Yaccarino stated, “Whether you’re here to witness historic events, explore real-time information from around the world, express your opinions, or learn from others, on Twitter, you can be your authentic self.” She acknowledged that the Twitter community had built the platform and stressed its irreplaceable nature, referring to it as their public square.
Mark Zuckerberg, the Founder and CEO of Meta, disclosed the remarkable achievement of Threads amassing over 30 million users in such a short span of time. However, Yaccarino reiterated that while Twitter may be imitated, the unique essence of the Twitter community can never be duplicated.
Expressing his frustration with Twitter, a dissatisfied user responded, “I think we’re about to find out it’s actually pretty replaceable. You guys treated users too poorly.” Greg Kamstra added, “It’s not surprising at all that they reached 30 million users in 12 hours. People have been desperately searching for an alternative for months.”
Zuckerberg emphasized the significance of maintaining a friendly atmosphere on the platform, stating that it would ultimately be the key to its success. Responding to Zuckerberg’s comment, Elon Musk, entrepreneur and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, highlighted the advantages of Twitter, stating, “It is infinitely preferable to be attacked by strangers on Twitter than indulge in the false happiness of hide-the-pain Instagram.”
Zuckerberg expressed his vision for a public conversations app with a billion users, suggesting that Twitter had the opportunity to achieve this but fell short. He expressed hope that Meta would succeed in accomplishing this goal.
As the battle for users intensifies between Twitter and Meta’s Threads, Twitter’s CEO Linda Yaccarino stands firm in her belief in the power of the Twitter community and its ability to maintain its unique appeal. Whether Meta can challenge Twitter’s position and fulfill Zuckerberg’s vision remains to be seen.
