• by Colin Kirkland , Staff Writer, June 21, 2023

In discussing its new Twitter-copycat app, Meta has treated Twitter CEO Elon Musk like a child, which in all fairness isn’t uncalled for, since the guy responds to all press inquiries with a poop emoji.

“We’ve been hearing from creators and public figures who are interested in having a platform that is sanely run, that they believe that they can trust and rely upon for distribution,” Meta chief product officer Chris Cox said to employees when previewing the company’s new microblogging app.

Cox reportedly delivered this vocal face-slap as “our response to Twitter,” likely meaning “our response to the ongoing destruction of Twitter under a billionaire who publicly responds to emails he doesn’t like with a poop emoji.”

For those of you who don’t know, Meta has spent months developing a Twitter alternative built on the back of Instagram, allowing users to seamlessly transfer their information and followers between apps. Screenshots of the app show similar Twitter features including verified users, like and reshare buttons, and a messaging option.

The app––named P92, or Barcelona, or Threads––is being deemed “Instagram for your thoughts.” It has been quietly tested with celebrities and select creators and still has no release date, but could launch soon.

According to what Cox recently told Meta employees, the goal of the new app is to provide the “safety, ease of use” and  “reliability” that no longer exists on Musk’s Twitter, ensuring that creators and brands have a “stable place to build and grow their audiences.”

Of course, Musk isn’t happy with Meta’s developing a (predictably unoriginal) competitive offering. Last week, he tweeted a thoughtful response to a link reporting Meta trying to get the Dalai Lama on the new app: “Zuck my tongue.”

It’s difficult to say that the majority of Twitter users––especially those that think Musk is a worthy leader––would leave the platform for yet another Meta copycat. But with Meta’s immense user base––the biggest in the social media sphere––alongside more complex or niche Twitter alternatives like Mastodon or Jack Dorsey’s decentralized app Bluesky failing to woo mass appeal, it might not matter.