In anticipation of Meta’s release of Threads, I raised doubts about the app’s value proposition. While Twitter remains operational, I argued that “the threads on Threads are bound to be sparse and short.”

It would appear I was sorely mistaken.

The Financial Times reports that “more than 30mn people had signed up less than 24 hours after it had been rolled out.” The app’s seamless integration into Instagram, its ease of setup, and its appeal to those hostile to Elon Musk have set Threads on track to reach “100mn monthly active users” in a matter of days. In the same piece, FT notes that it took OpenAI two months to reach the same benchmark with ChatGPT.

Elon Musk and Twitter are none too happy that Threads is meeting with such a warm reception. Instead of improving Twitter in response to the increasing market share of Threads, however, the company has threatened legal action. A lawyer for Twitter alleges that Meta is guilty of employing former Twitter employees who “improperly retained Twitter documents,” enabling Threads to steal “Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property.” The lawyer “demands that Meta take immediate steps to stop using any Twitter trade secrets or other highly confidential information,” reserving the right to “seek both civil remedies and injunctive relief” if Meta does not comply.

In the coming weeks, we will see if Twitter’s serious about litigation and, if so, whether its case has any merit. In any event, Twitter, Silicon Valley, and the American consumer have all benefited from the innovation engendered by the absence of noncompete agreements in California. To bemoan ex-Twitter employees’ parlaying their knowledge and experience to produce more value for consumers elsewhere smacks of myopia and hypocrisy.

Responding to a tweet posted by T(w)itter Daily News regarding the cease-and-desist letter, Elon Musk simply replied, “competition is fine, cheating is not.” Apparently, threatening legal action to preserve market power does not constitute “cheating” to Musk.