Leaked lawsuit documents reveal an ongoing dispute between Twitter and Threads, with Elon Musk’s platform accusing Meta of launching a copycat app and unlawfully hiring former Twitter employees.
Twitter guns for cutting Threads short with lawsuit
The controversy emerges just months after Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, which was swiftly followed by significant layoffs within the company.
As reported by Semafor, Elon Musk’s attorney, Alex Spiro, sent a cease-and-desist letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, alleging that Meta recruited “dozens of former Twitter employees” to develop Threads, a text-based app launched by Meta.
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The letter further claims that these employees possess confidential information and trade secrets of Twitter, raising concerns about the potential misappropriation of intellectual property.
While some sources have indicated the presence of ex-Twitter employees at Meta, Meta’s communications director, Andy Stone, stated in a Threads post that none of the individuals involved in the app’s engineering team are former Twitter employees. This contradicts the claims made in the cease-and-desist letter.
Post by @andymstoneView on Threads
Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter led to a significant reduction in the company’s workforce, with approximately 80% of employees being laid off.
The move resulted in intense scrutiny and criticism, although Musk defended his decision, suggesting that the dismissed employees would find opportunities elsewhere.
Since Musk’s tenure, Twitter has undergone notable changes, including controversial alterations to content moderation rules and the introduction of a paid verification process. These developments have added to the growing sense of upheaval within the platform.
Amidst the turmoil, Meta employees reportedly viewed the chaos at Twitter as an opportunity to develop a rival app. Threads, which launched recently, quickly gained traction, accumulating approximately 30 million sign-ups within a short span of time.
