Twitter is Suing Threads

While quickly embraced as a platform to let it all hang out, proudly unhinged “Threaders” should brace themselves for backlash. Controversial entrepreneur and Twitter CEO Elon Musk isn’t happy with the newest drop from Meta — and he wants everyone to know it. Could all the Threads fun be over before it *really* pops off?

In a letter obtained by Semafor, lawyer Alex Spiro details X. Corp’s grievances against Threads.

Read a snippet below:

Dear Mr. Zuckerberg:

I write on behalf of X. Corp., as successor in interest to Twitter, Inc. (“Twitter”). Based on recent reports regarding your recently launched “Threads: app, Twitter has serious concerns that Meta Platforms (“Meta”) has engaged in systemic, willful, and unlawful misappropriation of Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property.

Twitter goes on to accuse Meta of poaching former Twitter employees to build Threads writing,

“Over the past year, Meta has hired dozens of former Twitter employees. Twitter knows that these employees previously worked at Twitter, that these employees had and continue to have access to Twitter’s trade secrets and other highly confidential information; that these employees owe ongoing obligations to Twitter; and that many of these employees have improperly retained Twitter documents and electronic devices.”

They later call Threads an outright “copycat.” Ouch.

As expected, Twitter plans to enforce its intellectual property rights and threatens to sue. Specifically, Threads must “prevent any further retention, disclosure or use of its intellectual property,” and preserve any documents that could be relevant to this dispute.

Meta responded to the threat… in a Thread. (Points for pettiness.) Communications director Andy Stone wrote, “No one on the Threads engineering team is a former Twitter employee — that’s just not a thing.”

Musk’s thoughts were summed up in a Tweet where he quips, “Competition is fine, cheating is not.”

Eye roll.

Two billionaires billionairing is pretty tacky, but I’d love to see this play out in some super specific way where both parties are shamed somehow. That would be nice.

You can read Twitter’s full letter to Threads here.