In a recent development, Twitter’s owner, Elon Musk, has accused Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, of unethical practices. The controversy revolves around Meta’s new application, ‘Threads,’ which Twitter alleges is a clone of its platform.
Twitter has expressed its discontent with Meta, threatening to initiate legal proceedings. The micro-blogging site claims that Meta violated their intellectual property rights by hiring former Twitter engineers to develop Threads. This move, according to Twitter, is tantamount to stealing their trade secrets and confidential information.
However, Meta has categorically denied these allegations. In response to Twitter’s claims, Meta’s lawyer stated that none of the engineers involved in the development of Threads had previously worked for Twitter. Despite this, Musk continues to accuse Meta of cheating, emphasizing that while competition is acceptable, dishonest practices are not.
The dispute escalated when Twitter sent a letter to Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, outlining its concerns about the alleged theft of trade secrets. Twitter accused Meta of recruiting several ex-Twitter employees who had access to confidential information and improperly retaining Twitter documents and devices. According to Twitter, Meta used this information to expedite the development of Threads, thereby violating the law and their obligations to Twitter.
Despite the ongoing controversy, Threads quickly gained popularity following its launch. Many users, dissatisfied with recent decisions made by Twitter such as limits on viewing tweets and paid blue ticks, flocked to Threads. The app reportedly garnered 30 million sign-ups within 24 hours of its launch, a significant number compared to Twitter’s 229 million monthly active users as of May 2022.
However, Threads does not offer all the features available on Twitter. Users cannot post lengthy videos or create chatrooms like Twitter Spaces on Threads. Additionally, the app does not support direct messaging or the use of hashtags.
As the situation unfolds, Twitter has requested Meta to preserve any documents that could be crucial in a potential legal dispute between the two companies. It remains to be seen how this corporate drama will play out and what impact it will have on the social media landscape.
Meta has discontinued the availability of Instagram's Threads app, replacing Read more
The Apple iPhone 12 Mini is now on the market. Read more
Threads, a newly launched social media application, has taken the Read more
