Adam Mosseri says Threads is working on an API, despite concerns that “it'll mean a lot more publisher content and not much more creator content”
Instagram head Adam Mosseri said today that a Threads API is in the works. This will give chance to developers to create different apps and experiences around Threads.
TechCrunchIvan Mehta
Context & Ripple Effects
Threads was trying to build participation around creators and real-time updates, including an earlier push to get more creators posting on the service. An API broadens the ways outside developers can package and distribute Threads content, but it also exposes a tension between that creator strategy and a likely influx of publisher-led use cases.
The move sits alongside Threads' ambition to become a venue for public conversation while maintaining a cautious approach to news amplification, as outlined in its stated reluctance to amplify hard news. That makes API design and access rules consequential, not merely a developer feature.
First-order effects
Developers gain a path to build third-party clients, publishing workflows, analytics, and other experiences around Threads once the API is available.
Threads must decide which capabilities external apps receive; those choices will immediately shape whether publishers, creators, or both can use the platform most effectively.
Second-order effects
Publishers and social-media tool vendors are positioned to test automated distribution and workflow integrations, potentially increasing publisher content relative to native creator posts—the trade-off Mosseri identified.
Creator-focused tools may need comparable API access or product support to avoid a platform ecosystem tilted toward organizations that already have publishing infrastructure.
Third-order effects
If Threads opens access while tightly governing news and distribution, social platforms may increasingly treat APIs as content-mix controls rather than simple developer plumbing.
The later direction toward fediverse account following and follower portability suggests that interoperability could become part of Threads' product architecture, though the eventual openness will depend on implementation details.
The trend: Social platforms are reopening selected interfaces to third parties while using access rules to steer the kinds of content and participants those ecosystems attract.
We're working on it. My concern is that it'll mean a lot more publisher content and not much more creator content, but it still seems like something we need to get done.
I understand that concern but it also opens up avenues for developers to create different experiences. While the Threads engineering team has shipped fast and well, we can't realistically expect them to cater to different experiences. Plus, creators also need different tools
That's great to hear! Is the alternative to a publisher-focused API more creative tools? Trying to think of what draws in creators besides news to riff on
Some news: @mosseri says Threads is working on an API. As the risk of stating the obvious, once this API is available, Techmeme will finally be able to post here, which means all you fabulous creators will at last be able to quote-post Techmeme!
Is more “publisher content” than “creator content” in a primarily text-based app necessarily bad? No. Need more publishers publishing here and engaging with their readers, and readers having a ton of stuff to get to at any given time. Are there risks of misuse or abuse? Yes. …
1. Sure, but I think y'all might have the algorithmic/AI chops to manifest whatever publisher/creator mix is optimal (w.r.t. posts viewed in “For you”.) 2. Also, as @crumbler notes, news begets more creator posts! 3. Wait a second, why did I tip you off about the ease of squelc…
One instructive exercise is to define the terms “publisher” and “creator” and consider why platforms like Meta have such a clear preference for one vs the other
I'm not a fan of charging for APIs, but I do think a one-time developer license fee of maybe $100 would dramatically reduce the garbage content problem. Professional creators and commercial publishers with legitimate distribution use cases can pony that up. …
API opens the door to fun creator things that people loved about Twitter like interactive personas, joke bots, thread summaries, etc. But also, things that added tremendous value to Twitter like automated govt. agencies like transit disruptions and what would've been useful toda…
I'm pretty impressed so far with Threads as a place to read a lot of high quality information, less impressed with it as a place to just shoot the shit and have fun
Earlier today, we put the new polls feature to the test to see whether they're accessible for screen reader users. As you can tell from our video, the short answer is no. @mosseri, @zuck and the entire @threads team, why won't you put accessibility first? New features might be …
The only reason the For You tab feels surprisingly well-curated is because Threads is pulling content from the Following tab to show in the For You tab, and then imposing the For You as a default. I wrote a whole thread about the former effect that includes screenshots demonstra…
3/ Even if the data did support such thinking, the framing still leaves much to be desired. The logic implied by this clip is akin to saying that, because filters and stickers are only used by a small % of all Instagram users, the feedback of IG Creators notwithstanding, further…
Chronological would help but I still haven't found enough people to follow here that would make the tab my go to. The For You tan is surprisingly well curated in my case.
2/ Many of us have been patiently waiting for an action real-time chronological feed. We understand that it takes time to fully deliver on that, but these comments give me pause. It sends the message that, by being patient, we're generating data that product executives are usin…
Companies like Meta (and previously Twitter) have public affairs liaisons that actively work with govt officials to ensure they have what they need to be on a platform. That includes verification and preventing impersonation, but also includes listening to their needs. …
@mosseri Does your team have a strategy to encourage govt. agencies, elected officials, public services to this platform? Mayors, city councillors, police and fire departments post on X as an official comms outlet. …
🧵/ Comments re: Following tab in this clip feel dismissive in the same way comments re: news have felt dismissive. The implied logic, here: small % of people use Following tab, ergo the development effort hasn't been impactful. …
Good web app is crucial, Tweetdeck is basically the only way I use @twitter. People who post composited threads are also more likely on desktop than on mobile.
but that minority who use the web app might actually post more content than others (journalists). if web has better feature parity, it'll get way more usage. also, i still see questions of people who don't know Threads on web exists! see screenshot
And what are those public conversations gonna be about? — I dunno, maybe new things that are happening in their lives. In some concrete format. Wait, would that be... the news?!?! [embedded post]