Elon Musk Criticizes Instagram Following Release of Twitter Competitor Threads

Threads, a new platform that rivals Twitter and is powered by Instagram, has recently launched and is experiencing a surge in user registrations. Currently, there are over 5 million users on the platform. This success has positioned Threads as a formidable competitor to Twitter, but Elon Musk, the executive chair and CTO, is not one to shy away from a challenge. Shortly after the app’s release, Musk took a swipe at Instagram, expressing his disinterest in the social network app.

Responding to a tweet about Musk, who deleted his Instagram account in 2018, he said: “It’s infinitely better to be attacked by strangers on Twitter than to hide away the pain in the false happiness of Instagram.” He hinted at Instagram’s view that users tend to exaggerate their success and happiness on the platform.

Elon Musk digs Instagram

The latest dig is part of a long rivalry between Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Instagram parent Meta, and Musk since Threads, then known as Project 92, was leaked to the media.

Meta took the first shots by describing Threads as a “healthily managed platform”. In response, Musk tweeted: “I’m sure Earth can’t wait to be solely under Zuck’s thumb with no other options. At least it makes ‘sense’. I was worried there for a second.”

He later responded to a user who reminded Musk that Zuckerberg knows jiu-jitsu, “I’m ready for a cage match if he is lol.” Zuckerberg also got in on the prank, replying to his Instagram story with “Send me your location.”

The competition is likely to intensify now that both billionaires have their own social media platforms that compete directly against each other. While Twitter is already an established platform with an estimated 450 million monthly active users, Threads has also started to explode, reaching 5 million users in just six hours.