Meta has launched its X rival, Threads, to users in the European Union, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced.
The EU launch teased earlier in the week with a countdown timer, marks Meta’s strategic move to offer Threads as a direct competitor to X, a short-form text platform.
The delay in launching in Europe was due to Meta’s commitment to meeting unique regulatory requirements in the region.
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Despite not being available in Europe until now, Threads has already amassed around 100 million monthly active users as of October, Zuckerberg in an earnings call that month.
The platform’s growth can be partly attributed to users migrating from X, dissatisfied with Elon Musk’s erratic decision-making on the rival platform.
Threads positions itself as a more friendly and less divisive community, attracting users seeking alternatives.
With the EU launch, millions more users can potentially switch from X to Threads, posing an additional challenge to the embattled platform formerly known as Twitter.
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Twitter is currently grappling with an advertiser exodus due to concerns about hate speech and Musk’s promotion of fringe ideologies.
“Welcome everyone”
Mark Zuckerberg said: “Today we’re opening Threads to more countries in Europe. Welcome everyone.”
Zuckerberg aims to grow Threads to over 1 billion users worldwide in the coming years.
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While the new product experienced a significant initial surge in signups after its July launch, engagement declined as users expressed dissatisfaction with its basic features.
However, Meta has been steadily building and enhancing the app.
It added features such as a desktop version, a following feed, and topic tags to facilitate content discovery about specific subjects.
Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram and overseeing Threads, announced plans to extend fact-checking on Threads in the upcoming year.
