Elon Musk blasts and threatens lawsuit against Threads as Twitter rival sees record launch

Australians have rushed to download the new Threads app started by Mark Zuckerberg‘s Meta as a direct rival to Elon Musk‘s Twitter – as the South African mogul took to the platform to have a shot at the Facebook founder.

Meta is using its Instagram platform to encourage users to download Threads – which has quickly become the number one downloaded app for iPhones and Android mobiles in Australia, according to top charts for both Apple’s App Store and Google Play.

When it was launched on Wednesday this week, 30million people had signed up to the micro-blogging platform within hours amid predictions it could ‘kill’ Twitter.

Musk quickly responded by threatening to sue Zuckerberg over the launch of the new app, with his personal lawyer Alex Spiro sending a cease and desist letter to the Meta CEO and Facebook founder.

Elon Musk has theatened to sue fellow tech billionaire Mark Zuckerberg after the Facebook founder launched Threads this week as a direct rival to Twitter

The letter claims Meta used ‘Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property’ to build the new app.

It also accused Zuckerberg’s company of hiring ‘dozens of former Twitter employees’  and claimed some of them had ‘improperly retained Twitter documents and electronic devices’.

Most recently, Musk responded to a tweet about the possible legal action commenting: ‘Competition is fine, cheating is not.’

The Tesla and SpaceX founder also responded to one Twitter user who posted a picture of ‘Control’, ‘C’ and ‘V’ keys – suggesting Threads had direcrly copied Twitter – with a laughing emoji.

Reminded by one user of his withdrawal from Instagram in 2018, Musk tweeted: ‘It is infinitely preferable to be attacked by strangers on Twitter, than indulge in the false happiness of hide-the-pain Instagram’.

When asked about the prospect of Threads, Musk tweeted: ‘I’m sure Earth can’t wait to be exclusively under Zuck’s thumb with no other options.’

Zuckerberg is seeking to use Meta’s Instagram platform to position Threads as a serious rival to Twitter as the world’s largest micro-blogging site

The Tesla and SpaceX founder also responded to one Twitter user who posted a picture of ‘Control’, ‘C’ and ‘V’ keys – suggesting Threads had direcrly copied Twitter – with a laughing emoji

Reminded by one user of his withdrawal from Instagram in 2018, Musk tweeted: ‘It is infinitely preferable to be attacked by strangers on Twitter, than indulge in the false happiness of hide-the-pain Instagram’

Earlier Zuckerberg used his Twitter account for the first time in more than a decade to post the internet-famous meme of two characters dressed as Spiderman facing off, without a caption.

The tech entrepreneur has also not hosed down speculation Threads was launched to capitalise on Twitter’s rocky path under Musk.

‘It’ll take some time, but I think there should be a public conversations app with 1 billion+ people on it,’ Zuckerberg posted on Threads.

‘Twitter has had the opportunity to do this but hasn’t nailed it. Hopefully we will.

Respected tech bible Wired said Threads, which offers many of the same features as Twitter, ‘comes with big potential, thanks to its polished tech, built-in user base, and a reputation for better moderation that’s likely to please big-money advertisers’.

Threads (pictured) is considered to have a ready-made audience thanks to being pushed out to Instagram’s two billion global users

Threads is available through Meta’s Instagram platform and has quickly become the number one donloaded app for iPhones and Android mobiles in Australia, according to top charts for both Apple’s App Store (pictured) and Google Play

Threads is considered to have a ready-made audience thanks to it being pushed out to Instagram’s two billion global users.

Since Musk bought Twitter for US$44billion in October 2022 his ownership of the platform has been slammed by tech experts and users after he savagely cut staff numbers and introduced a fee for having a verified ‘blue tick’ on accounts.

Most recently Musk ‘limit rated’ free Twitter accounts by restricting users to only be able to view 600 tweets per day, a move ridiculed by account-holders on his own platform.

Earlier Zuckerberg used his Twitter account for the first time in more than a decade to post the internet-famous meme of two characters dressed as Spiderman facing off, without a caption