Meta's Threads swiftly signs up 30 million users, in clear threat to Musk-owned Twitter

FILE PHOTO: Meta's Threads app logo is seen in this illustration taken July 4, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

(Reuters) -Meta's Threads racked up more than 30 million sign-ups within about 18 hours of its launch, emerging as the first real threat to Elon Musk-owned Twitter, as it took advantage of its access to billions of Instagram users and a similar look to that of its rival.

Dubbed as the "Twitter-Killer", Threads was the top free app on Apple's App Store in the UK and the U.S. on Thursday. Its arrival comes after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter's Musk have traded barbs for months, even threatening to fight each other in a real-life mixed martial arts cage match in Las Vegas.