According to Quiver Quantitative, Meta’s Threads app registered 100 million users in less than five days since its launch. Forbes reports that Threads has become the fastest-growing app in history, surpassing the record set by ChatGPT, which achieved the same number of users in two months.
On Monday, Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg confirmed the milestone of 100 million users. “I can’t believe it’s only been five days!” he wrote on his Threads page. “This is mostly organic demand, and we haven’t even launched advertising tools yet,” he commented.
Threads became the most popular free app on the App Store and Google Play Store in the U.S., according to Sensor Tower. Data.ai also reports that it ranks first in the Russian App Store.
The record popularity of Threads is attributed to the user registration process through Instagram accounts, which is owned by Meta, allowing profile data to be carried over to Threads. With over two billion active users, Instagram has provided a powerful boost for Threads, according to estimates by the WSJ.
The microblogging app Threads was launched on July 6 in 100 countries. Bloomberg reported that Threads is not yet operational in the EU, as Meta decided to wait for more detailed guidance regarding the new Digital Markets Act, primarily concerning how data sharing between Threads and Instagram will be interpreted by European regulators.
With the launch of this new app, Meta is attempting to capitalize on the challenges faced by Twitter, which has been owned by billionaire Elon Musk since October 2022. Over the past nine months, Twitter has experienced numerous technical failures, mass layoffs, a loss of users and advertisers, and has faced sharp criticism for its deteriorating content moderation system, as noted by The Wall Street Journal.
The publication also highlights the increasing competition between Meta and Twitter, citing Musk’s reaction to the plans for launching the new app—he challenged Zuckerberg to a fight. Zuckerberg accepted the challenge, and both billionaires have already shared information online proving their preparations for the duel.
Musk’s company has accused Meta of improper appropriation of intellectual property and poaching former Twitter employees to develop its app, and in response to the launch of Threads, Twitter threatened Zuckerberg with a lawsuit.
*Meta is recognized as an extremist organization in Russia, and its activities are banned.