Thu, Nov 14, 2024 | Jumada al-Awwal 13, 1446 | DXB ktweather icon0°C

Threads of a tech rivalry: Zuckerberg shares first tweet in 11 years, Musk takes a dig at Insta

In his first tweet since 2012, Zuckerberg posts a popular Spider-Man meme as Musk admonishes what he calls the "false happiness" of Instagram

Published: Thu 6 Jul 2023, 11:10 AM

Updated: Fri 7 Jul 2023, 3:34 PM

Top Stories

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Tesla boss Elon Musk. (AP)

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Tesla boss Elon Musk. (AP)

Meta CEO and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who did not post on Twitter in over 11 years, has shared a meme on the microblogging platform that has coincided with the launch of Instagram’s Threads app.

Meta's newly debuted Threads is a text-based rival to Elon Musk’s Twitter.

In his first tweet since 2012, Zuckerberg posted a popular meme where a Spider-Man points at another Spider-Man. It dates back to the 1967 Spider-Man cartoon "Double Identity" in which a villain attempts to impersonate the hero, according to media reports. Zuckerberg's post did not have any caption.

The Facebook founder made his last tweet on January 18, 2012. “Tell your congressmen you want them to be pro-internet,” Zuckerberg had tweeted, sharing a link to his Facebook post.

Meanwhile, soon after Zuckerberg’s tweet, Musk took a dig at Instagram. “It is infinitely preferable to be attacked by strangers on Twitter, than indulge in the false happiness of hide-the-pain Instagram,” Musk wrote.

This came in reply to a post featuring a 2018 email sent by Musk where he informed public relations consultant Juleanna Glover about deleting Instagram. “I just deleted my Instagram. Weak Sauce,” the mail read.

The text-based conversation app Threads by Instagram launched on July 6. The app, which is likely to rival Twitter, can now be downloaded from the Google PlayStore and Apple App Store in the UAE and other countries. According to Zuckerberg, more than 5 million users signed up for Threads within just four hours of its launch.

According to its description on the PlayStore, Threads is “where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow. Whatever it is you’re interested in, you can follow and connect directly with your favourite creators and others who love the same things — or build a loyal following of your own to share your ideas, opinions and creativity with the world”.

Threads allows users to follow the same people they follow on Instagram. After downloading, one doesn’t need to register on Threads as the app takes all the data from the user’s Instagram account.

In the run-up to the launch of Threads, Musk, the world’s wealthiest person, had thrown a cage fight challenge at Zuckerberg in a Twitter exchange with a user on June 21. Following this, the Meta CEO had shared a screenshot of Musk’s tweet and wrote, “send me location”, making the internet go into a frenzy.

READ MORE:



Next Story