ChatGPT took 60 days, Uber took 70 months: Threads app hits 100 mn users in record 5 days

Meta Platforms' newly launched Twitter-like Threads, has achieved the significant milestone of 100 million sign-ups within record five days, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Notably, ChatGPT took two months to reach 100 million users, while popular video-sharing platform TikTok achieved the same milestone in nine months. In comparison, Instagram itself took 30 months to reach 100 million users after its launch in 2010. Cab-hailing platform Uber took 70 months to reach the coveted milestone.

Threads has been setting records for user growth since its launch on Wednesday, with celebrities, politicians and other newsmakers joining the platform seen by analysts as the first serious threat to the Elon Musk-owned Twitter

On the first day of its release, Threads garnered significant attention, with Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta (Instagram's parent company), reporting 2 million sign-ups in two hours, 5 million sign-ups in four hours, and 10 million registered users in seven hours.

The following day, Zuckerberg revealed that over 30 million people had signed up to try the new app. Notably, Threads' rapid growth is impressive considering it has not yet been launched in the European Union due to privacy concerns.

Previously, OpenAI's ChatGPT held the distinction of being one of the fastest-growing consumer products, achieving 10 million daily users in 40 days and 100 million monthly users in nearly two months. Retaining users on Threads will be its next big challenge.

Threads was made available on Apple and Android app stores in 100 countries on Wednesday and Thursday, excluding Europe due to uncertainties surrounding the European Union's data privacy legislation.

Meta, the parent company of Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, faces challenges related to data privacy regulations in Europe. The forthcoming Digital Markets Act explicitly prohibits companies like Meta from combining data across its platforms. Meta's business model revolves around utilising personal data for targeted advertisements, and since Threads accounts are linked to Instagram accounts, complying with the EU's data privacy regime (GDPR) poses a significant challenge.

Regarding Meta's launch of Threads, the EU's industry commissioner, Thierry Breton, expressed his support for Meta's efforts to ensure compliance with the law. He stated that taking time to do so is a sensible approach and that there are numerous solutions available.

Twitter has responded to the emergence of Threads by threatening legal action against Meta, alleging the use of trade secrets and confidential information in developing the app. However, legal experts suggest that proving such claims may be challenging.

Threads bears a striking resemblance to Twitter, as do several other social media platforms that have surfaced recently amid user dissatisfaction with Musk's management of the service. The app allows posts of up to 500 characters and supports links, photos, and videos up to 5 minutes in length. However, it currently lacks features such as direct messaging, a desktop version, hashtags, and keyword search functions.

However, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, stated that Meta does not aim to replace Twitter and that Threads focuses on lighter topics such as sports, music, fashion, and design. However, Mosseri acknowledged that politics and hard news will inevitably make their way onto the platform, posing a challenge for an app positioning itself as a "friendly" option for public discourse online.

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