With Twitter traffic “tanking” and Threads ascendant, Elon Musk says Mark Zuckerberg “is a cuck” and proposes “a literal dick-measuring contest”

Twitter owner calls Facebook founder a ‘cuck’ as rancour grows over launch of Threads, a competitor to Musk's network

The Guardian 2023-07-11 Martin Pengelly

Context & Ripple Effects

Threads was positioned before launch as a Twitter rival designed to recruit celebrities and creators to a more predictably managed service, and Twitter's unresolved temporary reading limits created a favorable opening for that launch.

The rollout quickly made Zuckerberg a more visible public advocate for the product amid Twitter turmoil. This confrontation turns the reported traffic shift into a more explicit, personality-driven competitive contest between the platforms.

First-order effects

Musk's public attacks keep attention on the Twitter-Threads rivalry while associating Twitter's response with its owner's personal feud rather than product changes.
Threads benefits from the contrast created by its launch momentum and Twitter's reported traffic decline; Zuckerberg gains a high-profile opening to frame Meta as the alternative.

Second-order effects

Twitter faces greater pressure to stabilize access and engagement after the reading-limit controversy gave Threads a timely opening, while Meta has incentive to convert launch attention into sustained creator participation.
Creators and audiences can more readily test a competing text-based network when Twitter's disruption and Threads' recruitment strategy coincide, raising the cost of retaining attention on a single platform.

Third-order effects

If early network effects persist, the episode suggests that incumbent social platforms can become more contestable when operational disruption lets a well-resourced rival rapidly assemble users and public attention.
The durability of that shift remains uncertain: a public launch surge must translate into repeat participation before it changes the long-term balance of platform gatekeeping.

The trend: This is one data point in the growing contestability of social-network gatekeepers when a challenger can pair existing distribution with an incumbent's self-inflicted disruption.

Discussion

@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
@fentasyl Zuck is a cuck
@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
@MarioNawfal Accurate assessment. Threads is just Instagram minus pics, which makes no sense, given that thirst pics are the main reason people use that app. How many times have you read comments on Insta pics & wished there were more? Personally, never.
@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
@fentasyl I propose a literal dick measuring contest 📏
@martinsfp @martinsfp on x
A story that would seem insane to anyone from 2021 https://twitter.com/...
@mattbinder Matt Binder on x
there is good reason why Elon Musk's new go-to Twitter stat to flaunt is “unregretted user minutes” ...a completely made-up metric without a definition that absolutely no one in the industry uses https://twitter.com/...
@eric_seufert Eric Seufert on x
Unclear if the measurement methodology for this MAU metric is consistent with how DAU was measured previously. Twitter reported 238MM mDAU ("monetizable DAU") in Q2 2022. https://twitter.com/...
@nikitabier Nikita Bier on x
New Zuck banger just dropped. [Image: Zuckerberg replying “Concerning 😂” to Jason Calacanis' “@zuck is such a little copycat” post on Threads]
@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
@brettdash_ @charliewrich Censorship pays them well
@eastdakota @eastdakota on x
Twitter traffic tanking. https://radar.cloudflare.com/ domains [image]
@pt Parker on x
For those keeping home at score, Elon bought a product for $44B, then Zuck built the same product for 1000x less, is stealing Elon's users like an absolute Chad, and, god willing, is soon going to choke him out in 90 seconds in a steel cage. So that's what cuck means now. https:/…
@atrupar Aaron Rupar on x
i can't imagine why this platform is having a hard time attracting advertisers [image]
@mattbinder Matt Binder on x
damn even Mark Zuckerberg is mocking Elon Musk's tweets now [image]
@zuck Mark Zuckerberg on threads
Concerning 😂
@philfung Philip Fung on threads
seems like Threads is censored from Trending, unlikely this is not in the top 30 US trends for the last day. Makes sense, but also shows how hard it is to stick to your principles when it is against...
@zuck Mark Zuckerberg on threads
Concerning 😂
UPROXX UPROXX on x
Elon Musk, The World's Richest Man, Followed Up His Dumb ‘Zuck Is A Cuck’ Tweet An Even Dumber Tweet
@sarthakgh Sar Haribhakti on x
Over 95 million posts and 190 million likes on Threads so far 5% of Instagram user base is on Threads [image]
@tamisawyer Tami Sawyer on x
It really should just count as instagram. This wasn't organic growth. https://twitter.com/...
@tomwarren Tom Warren on x
Threads has passed 100 million users. Many will point out that's quicker than ChatGPT, but it has been bootstrapped to Instagram so the growth isn't quite the same. Still impressive to see this many people download and install a Twitter competitor https://www.theverge.com/...
The Eclectic Light Company Hoakley on mastodon
Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky and what next?
@austinkocher@mastodon.social Austin Kocher, PhD on mastodon
“While you're able to deactivate your Threads account whenever, you must delete your Instagram if you fully want to delete your Threads account.” — https://www.wired.com/...
@CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social @CelloMomOnCars@mastodon.social on mastodon
Of interest to those who participate in #climate protest (lawful or not), those in groups that tend to be targeted by #LawEnforcement, and those who are #pregnant and don't wish to be: Choose your #SocialMedia and your communications apps wisely. …
@benedictevans Benedict Evans on x
Old: launch your social app on iPhone and six months later launch it on android New: launch your social app and six months later, maybe, launch it in the EU
@benedictevans Benedict Evans on x
(People are very confused In general about privacy. There are even people out there who still think Cambridge Analytica was real)
@petreraleigh Peter Raleigh on x
I'm sorry but it's so, so funny Threads is illegal in the EU. Yeah here's our new website. It's the next big thing. The data harvesting is so blatant a half billion people are forbidden for their own good
@benedictevans Benedict Evans on x
TIL: a lot of people read Apple's privacy ‘nutrition labels’ and think that an app can read any data on your phone and that the sandbox just doesn't exist. This is the twitter app. ‘Purchase history’ doesn't mean it's seeing anything I buy on my phone [image]
@benedictevans Benedict Evans on x
The irony is that Apple's privacy labels totally undermine Apple's own narrative on privacy - Apple is telling its users there is no sandbox and any app can read anything on your iPhone, which isn't true at all. They're not just vague but totally counterproductive https://twitter…
@crickettgrrrl @crickettgrrrl on x
Why does Threads/Meta need so much of our Health data? NONE of the other SM apps do. #FuckZuck https://arstechnica.com/...
@ackocher Austin Kocher, PhD on x
“While you're able to deactivate your Threads account whenever, you must delete your Instagram if you fully want to delete your Threads account.” https://www.wired.com/...
@follylollysews @follylollysews on x
Ok since it's becoming a Thing and twitter users are notoriously bad at sharing information in a way that isn't just a game of telephone https://www.google.com/...
@stellabelle @stellabelle on x
Learn what data each social media platform collects on you. Interestingly, if you join Threads but then want to delete your account, you will have to delete your Instagram account. Its all connected which basically sucks. https://arstechnica.com/...
@madoldmoai @madoldmoai on x
Mastodon is the clear winner in privacy. Bluesky isn't too bad. Threads is as bad as we all expected, but Android users can secure it reasonably well. https://www.wired.com/....
r/privacy r on reddit
How Threads' Privacy Policy Compares to Twitter's (and Its Rivals')
@steinkobbe.bsky.social @steinkobbe.bsky.social on bluesky
Elon read this and thought fuck I need to do something. I'm the greatest business genius that ever lived what should my move be? I know, time to demand Zuck pulls his dick out [image]
@josheberley.bsky.social Josh Eberley on bluesky
Why did the worst person for the job take over my favourite app lol [embedded post]
@themckenziest.bsky.social Lauren McKenzie on bluesky
I would love to go back to 2019 and try to convince anyone that this is a real headline from 4 short long years in the future... [embedded post]
@yesitscolin.bsky.social Colin on bluesky
I miss the days when Onion-like headlines were fake and only found in The Onion... [embedded post]
@janus.bsky.social @janus.bsky.social on bluesky
we're quickly nearing the end of the simulation [embedded post]
@darthbluesky.bsky.social @darthbluesky.bsky.social on bluesky
wat [embedded post]
@ronmiller.bsky.social Ron Miller on bluesky
Techmeme posts I never expected to see for $200 Alex. [embedded post]
@taylorlorenz@mastodon.social Taylor Lorenz on mastodon
The only good content left on Twitter is Musk's former employees debunking his bullsh*t — [image]
@lindayacc Linda Yaccarino on x
Don't want to leave you hanging by a thread... but Twitter, you really outdid yourselves! Last week we had our largest usage day since February. There's only ONE Twitter. You know it. I know it. 🎤
@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
@lindayacc Cumulative user-seconds per day of phone screentime, as reported by iOS & Android, is hardest to game. I think we may hit an all-time record this week.
@anashaqqani313 @anashaqqani313 on x
Twitter has two important advantages over other social media platforms. The first privilege is the freedom of speech. The second privilege is the public nature & credibility of Twitter. Twitter doesn't have an intolerant policy like Meta. Other platforms cannot replace it.
@kantrowitz Alex Kantrowitz on x
Yes, Elon builds self driving cars and sends rockets to space, but rehabilitating Mark Zuckerberg's image may be his most impressive achievement
@alexeheath Alex Heath on x
This is technically impossible to know as a third-party app on either iOS or Android https://twitter.com/...
@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
You will get more laughs from this app than everything else combined But I have to warn you ... don't be shocked ... there's some negative stuff too
@jason_kint Jason Kint on x
In the spirit of finding one thing to defend Musk on, this is almost certainly technically possible. We used to monitor it for our apps as a key metric. TWTR would only know their own iOS and Android apps but not anyone else's as a benchmark. https://twitter.com/...
@cabel @cabel on x
@gruber Last week we had our largest engagement day ever on the freeway!!! We're pretty confident it had nothing to do with the huge, horrible accident on the side of the road
@unusual_whales @unusual_whales on x
Jim Cramer has said: “Whatever Twitter can do, Zuck can do better”. [video]
@gruber John Gruber on x
Excruciating flop sweat vibes. https://twitter.com/...
@alexeheath Alex Heath on x
And when I say impossible, I mean, like, not even directionally guessable. You could compare your own time spent usage (not the same as what the OSes show users for screen time) to third-party estimates, I guess? Nothing like what Musk is suggesting
@westcoastbill Bill Lee on x
this is the content i'm here for. @twitter FTW. two dicks enter, one dick leaves. https://twitter.com/...
@katienotopoulos Katie Notopoulos on x
To me, what's funny here is that Linda is using the mic emoji “mic drop”. When she typed it in iOS or Android it looked like just a mic. But oddly, the Twitter emoji mic (yes, Twitter has its own emoji) has music notes next to it, like she's singing. https://twitter.com/...
@omgno2trump John Oberlin on x
Where things stand: - the Nazis, KKK and fascists support Trump, DeSantis and the GOP - the Taliban support Elon Musk - Elon supports Russia and China Taliban Leader Endorses Elon Musk's Twitter Over New Rival Threads https://www.thedailybeast.com/ ...
@greg16676935420 Greg on x
@lindayacc I spent over 25 hours a day on Twitter all weekend to support you and all of us here
@imbadatlife Luke Bailey on x
aside from anything else, cumulative just doesn't quite make sense here? he means total, but he's using a longer word to imply that it's more complicated https://twitter.com/...
@lexialex @lexialex on x
The Taliban endorsing Twitter is a sign we're on a sinking ship https://twitter.com/...
@elainef Elaine Filadelfo on x
It was my job *at Twitter* to track & announce metrics like this. When a brand new, convoluted metric is suddenly trotted out, it tends to mean the opposite of what they're trying to claim. (And not even claiming! Saying maybe they could claim it!) (Also, “since Feb” is 🤡) [image…
@haltfauxnews @haltfauxnews on x
Maybe putting a guy with the temperament of a three-year-old on LSD in charge of Twitter was a bad idea? https://twitter.com/...
@rmac18 @rmac18 on x
Besides this one tweet (and a reply) around the Threads launch, Twitter CEO @lindayacc hasn't tweeted in 3 days. She's said nothing as her boss called for a billionaire tech CEO dick measuring contest. If Twitter is about the sharing of opinions, I'd love to hear hers. https://tw…
@jayrosen_nyu Jay Rosen on x
My guesstimate: about 30% decline in engagement on Twitter since Threads launched. For my posts— not yours, or the platform as a whole. By ‘engagagement’ I mean RT's, faves and replies. (Trolls not included.) Biggest drop is in people I have not seen before reacting to my stuff.
@rmac18 Ryan Mac on x
Now we know why Twitter recently allowed male enhancement product ads on its platform [image]
@mikeisaac Rat King on x
Twitter securing that rarified “Taliban member endorsement” over meta's threads is the stuff marketing campaigns are made of https://twitter.com/...
@kantrowitz Alex Kantrowitz on x
A @Techmeme headline for the history books [image]
@deitaone @deitaone on x
META'S TWITTER RIVAL THREADS OVERTAKES CHATGPT AS FASTEST-GROWING PLATFORM $META
@millar_colin Colin Millar on x
Weird. Turns out turbocharging toxicity on an already hate-filled platform while making it less user-friendly, increasingly unusable, bot-heavy, putting it behind a paywall (thus appealing exclusively to tryhards with fragile masculinity) and firing all your staff doesn't work. h…
@edzitron Ed Zitron on x
This is just catastrophically embarrassing. Even for the least mature beavis adjacent tech ceo this is a new low. You have so much money man, go outside [image]
@cb_doge @cb_doge on x
The censorship on Meta's new app is insane. They even want to control whom you follow. [image]
@charliewrich Charlie Light on x
Mark Zuckerberg making everyone forget that he wasted $12 billion on the Metaverse last year [image]
@fentasyl @fentasyl on x
Elon: Protects free speech Zuck: Protects brand speech https://twitter.com/... [image]
@terronk Lee Edwards on x
There is so much tribal knowledge in the gay community that straight men will never know. Someone should really tell this guy. Never. ever. challenge a skinny Jewish man to a dick measuring contest. [image]
@saeeddicaprio @saeeddicaprio on x
zuck's meat was on his mind for 8 hours I'm crying [image]
@junlper @junlper on x
bro came back 8 hours later for this [image]
@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
@SOClALRATE This platform will protect anons for this reason particularly
@armanddoma Armand Domalewski on x
Zuck is actually doing it lmaooooo [image]
@levie Aaron Levie on threads
No matter how you cut it, Twitter and Threads are gearing up for a head to head battle. Even if you think the platforms serve different needs, they can't ultimately. Reed Hastings has always had the best way to think about it: Netflix's competition is anything you can do with y…
@crumbler Casey Newton on threads
I have gone from “the MMA fight will obviously never happen” to “I desperately need the MMA fight to happen” in an uncomfortably short amount of time
r/LeopardsAteMyFace r on reddit
Taliban says Meta is Intolerant, so it is sticking with Twitter instead of using Threads.
r/Twitter r on reddit
Twitter traffic tanking
r/Twitter r on reddit
Twitter traffic sinks in wake of changes and launch of rival platform Threads
r/EnoughMuskSpam r on reddit
Twitter traffic sinks in wake of changes and launch of rival platform Threads
r/EnoughMuskSpam r on reddit
Twitter traffic tanking
@robertblaszczak @robertblaszczak on x
To reiterate the point above: it would only makes Threads more ‘IG-y’, not ‘Twitter-y’. They already have the Instagram audience there... 🙄 https://twitter.com/...
@richlightshed @richlightshed on x
How fast @instagram iterates #Threads will be critical to long term success so users don't get bored or frustrated - nice scoop @sarafischer $meta https://twitter.com/...
@robertblaszczak @robertblaszczak on x
🧶 After nearly a week, the only added value of Threads is that it has offered Twitter ownership a wake-up call. Otherwise it's too Instagram-y with users acting accordingly: random accounts sharing memes, low on value/substance, disregard to Following, no real time updates. 👎
@stokel Chris Stokel-Walker on x
Come to Threads, you won't get ads* for a year! * you will get bombarded with sponcon https://twitter.com/...
@mattturck Matt Turck on x
I know Meta has huge engineering resources and expertise, but kinda wild that a new product could go from zero to 100M users in days and the whole infra scales beautifully without a glitch or even slowness
@pkedrosky Paul Kedrosky on x
I think the thing I like best about Threads is how, via its algorithmic elevation of Instagrammers I would never follow, I'm developing a stronger than expected antipathy toward Instagram's culture of toxic positivity.
@jyarow Jay Yarow on x
100 million “sign ups”. Wonder what usage looks like. [image]
@phillyd Philip DeFranco on x
I mean sure...Threads passed 100 million users in just 5 days which is insane, BUT DID THEY GET ENDORSED BY THE TALIBAN?! I. THINK. NOT. 💪😤 https://twitter.com/... [image]
@donaldjtrumpjr Donald Trump Jr on x
“Meta did not respond to Fox's inquiry about whether it plans to vet platforms it shares user data with or ensure they do not have servers in countries like China.” 🤔 https://www.foxbusiness.com/ ...
@maxwelltani Max Tani on x
possible worst case scenario: threads becomes popular but not quite enough to make twitter irrelevant so you have to spend more time checking both to keep up
@davemcclure Dave McClure on x
retention over long-term prob way more important than initial short-time spike in users, but still... pretty impressive early adoption. also of note: recent drop in Twitter usage (see #s reported by Cloudflare). will be interesting to monitor usage on both platforms next 3 mo's h…
@aparanjape Amit Paranjape on x
That's impressive... but the real challenge will be in actual usage. “Instagram's Threads app reaches 100 million users within just five days” https://techcrunch.com/...
@mikeisaac @mikeisaac on x
threads at 100 million signups in five days mostly organic demand and haven't turned on many promotions yet is the interesting part — they haven't even stuck threads in the FB or IG newsfeeds yet. the signaling = more growth yet to come https://www.threads.net/... [image]
@seyitaylor @seyitaylor on x
more than 1/5th of Twitter now. https://twitter.com/...
@zuck Mark Zuckerberg on threads
Threads reached 100 million sign ups over the weekend. That's mostly organic demand and we haven't even turned on many promotions yet. Can't believe it's only been 5 days!
@mattnavarra Matt Navarra on threads
Zuck says the 100 million threads signups was achieved via organic demand. Going to be interesting to see how much higher that number goes when they start pushing it harder inside Instagram and Facebook etc.
@hubermanlab Andrew Huberman, Ph.D. on threads
Congratulations! Loving the functionality and overall tone of @threadsapp Bravo Team!
@earthlyeducation @earthlyeducation on threads
It's simple, you created a platform that doesn't push alt-right nonsense, hate speech and disinformation on important issues such as climate change - please continue this direction because the people...
@levie Aaron Levie on threads
General rule of thumb: if your startup's app doesn't have 100 million users within its first week you should probably bail on the idea.
@tnlnyc Tristan Louis on threads
While we all rejoice about the arrival of Threads, let's not forget that 4 major social network apps (Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, and now Threads) are in the hands of one company. That is quite a...
r/technews r on reddit
Instagram Threads hits 100 million users, becoming easily the fastest growing app ever

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