It appears that there is a brewing rivalry between Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta (formerly Facebook), and Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, in the realm of social media. The upcoming launch of Threads on July 6, Meta's Twitter competitor, is seen as a direct challenge to Musk's influence and control over Twitter.
Meta believes that there is a market gap for a stable social network focused on short posts, free from the controversies and unpredictability associated with Musk's Twitter activity. Threads, branded as "Instagram's text-based conversation app," aims to provide a platform that creators and public figures can trust for distribution and engagement.
The development of Threads has reportedly been underway since January, with Meta's chief product officer, Chris Cox, indicating that the company has already reached out to prominent figures like Oprah Winfrey to gauge their interest in joining the new platform. Meta's objective is to offer a well-managed alternative to Twitter, emphasising stability and trustworthiness.
Musk, known for his active and sometimes controversial presence on Twitter, responded to Meta's announcement with a comment suggesting sarcasm and dismissing their claims of being sanely run. This exchange highlights the competitive nature of the rivalry between the two billionaires.
Twitter, while boasting a user base of around 250mn globally, has faced challenges in recent times. Musk's influence as a major user has been noticeable, as he has implemented policy changes and exerted control over the platform. This includes firing staff, unwinding policies against hate speech, and shifting towards a model where users pay for verified status, potentially creating an imbalance in content quality.
Twitter's recent technical issues, such as site inaccessibility and limits on non-paying users' post views, have further contributed to its instability. The firing of communications staff and the use of automatic replies featuring a poo emoji instead of providing explanations reflect the current state of the platform.
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