Imagine if a newly launched app was like one of those super contagious viruses in movies. It's sneezing out millions of users every day. This isn't some sick plot of a sci-fi horror, it's actually the tale of a new app called Threads.

Okay, picture this: Threads, created by Meta, a.k.a. the artist formerly known as Facebook, launches and WHAM - in just five days, the app has over 100 million users. Like what?! This info is coming from Quiver Quantitative, and if you're into data tracking, you'll dig their stuff.

Threads is sorta like Twitter's long-lost twin - or maybe a clone if you're into Star Wars metaphors. It's funny to think that this newborn app reached the 100-million-users club even faster than ChatGPT from OpenAI.

ChatGPT, an AI-powered chatbot, had its own burst of fame when it launched back in November. In just two months, they were also throwing a 100-million-users party. But lately, it seems like the party's winding down a bit, as website traffic has started to peter out, per Similarweb.

Fair Comparison?

Now, why is Threads so darn popular? Well, it's kind of like it was born into social media royalty. Threads is a sibling app to Instagram, another Meta prodigy. Users can link their Threads profile to their Instagram accounts, creating a royal link to Instagram's staggering two billion active users.

Meanwhile, ChatGPT is out here like an independent artist, carving its own path without a major label backing it. Even though Threads is kinda a newbie and missing a few basic features, users are still all over it.

So, it's not exactly apples to apples here. Threads basically borrowed the wardrobe of Instagram, dressing itself up with an existing user base. On the other hand, ChatGPT was like a pioneer, carving out a fresh market and audience from scratch. As John Sculley once shared with me, "Launching a new product to your already established customer base is a walk in the park compared to creating a completely new market for a novel product." Quite the distinction, wouldn't you agree?

Timing

It's almost like Threads was launched at a perfect storm moment. Twitter, Elon Musk's platform, was going through a rough patch. They temporarily restricted the number of tweets users could see and shut out unregistered users completely.

Twitter's move ruffled a few feathers, especially those who use the platform for work or to boost their personal brands. So, Threads to the rescue? Maybe. One thing's for sure though, in the digital landscape, things move faster than a cheetah on a sugar rush. So, let's see where Threads ends up on this wild ride. Stay tuned, internet-dwellers!

Zuckerberg, the proud parent of Meta and its offspring, mentioned that Threads already had over 10 million registered accounts a mere seven hours post-launch. And by Friday? The app was sitting pretty with more than 70 million sign-ups. Zuck seemed genuinely surprised, stating the response was, "Way beyond our expectations."

July 11, 2023