Twitter considers legal action against Meta as Threads app gains popularity.

In a significant indication of Twitter's perception of Threads as a competitive threat, the social media platform is reportedly considering legal action against Meta, the company behind Threads. Twitter's attorney has accused Meta of trade secret theft through the recruitment of former Twitter employees, as stated in a letter sent to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The letter's details were initially reported by Semafor.

The letter also alleges that Meta hired former Twitter employees who unlawfully retained Twitter documents and devices, deliberately involving them in the development of Threads. The letter demands that Meta ceases using any Twitter trade secrets or confidential information. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone dismissed the claims, denying that any former Twitter employees were part of the Threads engineering team.

While Twitter has faced competition from various microblogging platforms, it has not threatened them with legal action. However, Threads, a rival app by Meta, has seen rapid growth, with 30 million user sign-ups on its first day, becoming the top free app on the iOS App Store.

Legal experts suggest that the threat of litigation might be a strategic move to slow down Meta rather than actually pursuing a lawsuit. The intention may be to create complications for Meta and tie them up in litigation.