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Not even 24 since the launch of Threads has passed and Twitter is already threatening to sue Meta over the app.
A clear competitor to Twitter — especially because it has the added bonus of importing followers over from Instagram — Threads was launched on Wednesday, July 5, and, according to Mark Zuckerberg, had 30 million sign-ups as of the following morning.
Perhaps feeling the heat from the new app on the block, a lawyer representing Twitter has sent a letter to Zuckerberg that threatens litigation.
“Based on recent reports regarding your recently launched ‘Threads’ app, Twitter has serious concerns that Meta Platforms has engaged in systematic, wilful, and unlawful misappropriation of Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property,” the letter begins.
Twitter’s letter to Meta also accuses them of hiring ex-Twitter employees that had access to “Twitter’s trade secrets and other highly confidential information.
“With that knowledge, Meta has deliberately assigned these employees to develop, in a matter of months, Meta’s copycat ‘Threads’ app with the specific intent that they use Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property in order to accelerate the development of Meta’s competing app.”
The letter then concludes with Twitter stating they will take legal action if Meta does not stop “using trade secrets.” It does not, however, say anything about the actual existence of the app.
“Twitter intends to strictly enforce its intellectual property rights, and demands that Meta take immediate steps to stop using any Twitter trade secrets or other highly confidential information.”
The threat of litigation from Twitter is the latest escalation in an ongoing beef between Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Elon Musk, who has been steadily running the social media app into the ground since acquiring it late last year.
The pair, of course, apparently agreed to fight each other in a “cage match” a few weeks ago, which has led to Musk training with MMA fighters and the Roman Colosseum offering to host the bout (which will never happen).
You can find the full letter that Twitter sent to Meta below.
