Meta Says Threads Hits 500 Million Monthly Users

Key Facts

when did threads surpass x?

Threads surpassed X in terms of daily active users on mobile devices worldwide in September, according to Similarweb data shared with Forbes at the time. Then, Threads barely edged out X, recording 130.2 million average daily users over X’s 130.1 million for the week ending Sept. 21. But since then, Threads has held a larger lead, with Threads logging 135.7 million average daily active users as of April, ahead of X’s 126.9 million average daily active users, according to Similarweb data. X has held a lead over Threads in the United States, though, recording 21.3 million average daily active users in the United States in April, ahead of Threads’ 18.3 million average daily active users.

how has threads built a large user base?

Threads benefits from close integration with Meta’s flagship platforms, Facebook and Instagram. Mark Mahaney, senior managing director and internet research analyst at Evercore ISI, previously told Forbes Threads’ integration with Instagram, which CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in September has 3 billion monthly active users, is a “big advantage,” because Meta can “siphon you off from that massive platform over to Threads.” Threads may also be better than X at showing users targeted ads, Mahaney said, because Threads may already know information about its users from Meta’s other platforms, which he also said may be a “negative development for the attractiveness of X to advertisers.”

key background

The close competition between X and Threads for users is the latest in a longstanding rivalry between tech billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. The two have traded barbs as early as 2016, when Zuckerberg said he was “deeply disappointed” a SpaceX rocket carrying a Facebook satellite exploded. SpaceX called the explosion an “anomaly,” while Musk, years later, said the incident was “my fault for being an idiot.” Musk also suggested Zuckerberg has a “limited” understanding of artificial intelligence in a 2017 jab. The launch of Threads caused tensions to resurface, and the two publicly discussed fighting in a cage match organized by UFC president Dana White, which has never materialized. “I’m up for a cage match if he is lol,” Musk tweeted in 2023 in response to a tweet about Threads’ impending launch. Musk backed out, claiming he needed surgery, and Zuckerberg said if Musk ever gets “serious about a real date and official event, he knows how to reach me.” Musk criticized Threads as “just Instagram minus pics, which makes no sense,” while lawyers representing Twitter threatened to sue Meta shortly after Threads’ release for allegedly stealing trade secrets.

forbes valuation

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and co-founder of Meta, is worth $203.6 billion as of Tuesday morning, according to Forbes estimates, making him the No. 7 richest person in the world. He owns about 13% of Meta’s stock. Elon Musk, the world’s richest person and first trillionaire, is worth $1.4 trillion, Forbes estimates as of Tuesday morning. Musk, the co-founder of companies including SpaceX and Tesla, became the world’s first trillionaire last week when SpaceX went public.

further reading

Threads Finally Passes X—Zuckerberg’s 2-Year-Old Platform Passes Musk’s In Daily Users (Forbes)

Musk’s Net Worth Hits $1.4 Trillion—SpaceX Passes Amazon As Fifth-Largest Company (Forbes)