Zuckerberg's Threads Surpasses Elon Musk's X In Global Daily Active Mobile Users

Mark Zuckerberg-owned Meta's Threads has surpassed Elon Musk-owned X in global daily active mobile users for the month of October. According to data shared by market intelligence company Similarweb with Forbes, Threads garnered an average of 128.2 million users per day, while X had 124.7 million users per day. According to experts, the narrow margin may seem insignificant, but it is a crucial turning point in the battle for social media supremacy.

The rivalry between Threads and X has been heating up since Threads launched in July 2023, seeking to capitalise on user discontent with X after Elon Musk's takeover and rebranding of ‘Twitter’. 

Musk's overhaul of the platform's features, including its verification process and content moderation practices, led to a backlash from some users who felt alienated by the changes. Meanwhile, Threads' close integration with Instagram, a more popular platform with 968.6 million daily active users, has given it a big advantage in attracting new users.

Mark Mahaney, senior managing director and internet research analyst at Evercore ISI, noted that Threads' integration with Instagram is a big advantage in attracting new users, allowing Meta to "siphon you off from that massive platform over to Threads." The experts suggested that the strategic move has clearly paid off, with Threads' daily active users increasing 48% year-over-year, while X's daily active users dropped 16% over the same period.

Despite Threads' lead in mobile users, X still holds a massive advantage in web traffic. According to Similarweb data, X had an average of 141.7 million daily web users in October, while Threads had just 7.6 million daily active users. X also beats Threads on mobile devices in the United States, although the gap has narrowed over time.

The competition between Threads and X is not just about user numbers, but also a reflection of the ongoing rivalry between two of the world's wealthiest men, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk. The two billionaires have a long history of trading barbs, with Zuckerberg previously criticising Musk's calls for AI regulation and Musk retaliating by questioning Zuckerberg's knowledge of AI.