Twitter is considering taking legal action against Meta, the parent company of Instagram, due to its newly launched text-based platform called Threads.
Twitter alleges that Meta has unlawfully recruited former Twitter employees to develop a similar application, using Twitter’s trade secrets and intellectual property without authorization.
In an exclusive letter obtained by Semafor, Twitter’s lawyer demanded that Meta immediately cease using any confidential information or trade secrets from Twitter, cautioning that failure to comply could result in legal remedies and injunctive relief. Andy Stone, Meta’s communications director, refuted the allegations, claiming that no member of the Threads engineering team previously worked for Twitter.
The release of Threads has positioned it as a direct competitor to Twitter, which has faced criticism for its owner Elon Musk’s political biases and a declining user experience. Meta, with its substantial resources and large user base from Instagram, possesses the means to challenge Twitter. Moreover, Meta has a history of successfully implementing imitation strategies, amplifying the concern surrounding Threads as a copycat platform.
