Threads surpasses 130 million monthly active users

CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared during Meta’s fourth-quarter earnings that Instagram Threads has now amassed over 130 million monthly active users. The text-based social networking app, a product of Meta, has been making strides in the evolving landscape of digital communication, particularly following Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter in 2022, now rebranded as X. Threads competes with various startups and open-source projects like Bluesky, Mastodon, Nostr, Post, and others.

Zuckerberg acknowledged Threads’ steady growth, emphasizing that the app has experienced significant user engagement, surpassing its initial launch peak. Despite facing challenges before Meta was fully prepared, Threads has managed to attract more users today than during its initial peak, indicating promising prospects for the app’s success.

Last quarter, Zuckerberg expressed optimism about Threads, predicting it had the potential to reach 1 billion users within a few years. At that time, the app already boasted over 100 million monthly active users. Meta’s broader app ecosystem, encompassing Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp, witnessed substantial usage, with 3.19 billion people engaging daily and 3.98 billion monthly active users in the fourth quarter.

Leveraging Instagram’s friend graph, Threads made a record-breaking debut, attracting 100 million registered users within its first five days last July. Although interest waned in the fall, Meta’s strategic promotion of Threads’ viral posts to Facebook users revitalized its growth, solidifying its spot among the top 10 most downloaded apps globally in December.

Zuckerberg’s remarks aimed to allay concerns about Threads’ earlier downturn, dispelling premature declarations of its demise. Third-party estimates suggest Threads now boasts an estimated 160 million total users, indicating a resurgence in its popularity. In terms of Meta’s overall performance, the company reported robust earnings, with $40.1 billion in revenue for the quarter ending December 2023, surpassing analyst estimates. Net income stood at $14.02 billion, contributing to a total revenue of $134.90 billion for the full year 2023.