Instagram Threads has reached over 130 million monthly active users, as announced by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg during the Q4 earnings call. Positioned as a text-centric social networking app, Threads faces competition from various projects like Bluesky, Mastodon, Nostr, Post, among others. Zuckerberg noted the steady growth of Threads, highlighting that it currently boasts more users than during its initial launch peak, indicating a trajectory toward substantial success. In the previous quarter, Zuckerberg expressed confidence in Threads, envisioning its potential to attain 1 billion users within a few years. Meta’s app ecosystem, encompassing Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp, collectively engaged 3.19 billion people daily in Q4, with monthly active users reaching 3.98 billion. Threads demonstrated recent momentum by tripling its downloads in December, securing the sixth spot among the most downloaded apps globally across the Apple App Store and Google Play. While Threads initially soared with a record-breaking launch of 100 million registered users in its first five days, interest diminished in the fall. However, recent growth, fueled by Meta’s promotional efforts, has revitalized the app’s standing, earning a position among the top 10 most downloaded apps globally in December. Zuckerberg’s comments aimed to allay concerns about Threads, underscoring its ongoing success, supported by a third-party estimate indicating 160 million total users. In addition to these developments, Meta reported Q4 revenue of $40.1 billion, exceeding analyst expectations, and introduced its inaugural cash dividend of $0.50 per share, scheduled for payment in March to shareholders.
