Good morning.
So now we know why they want to smack each other in the face. When Elon Musk challenged Mark Zuckerberg to a cage fight last month, it was in response to suggestions that the new social media site being developed by Zuckerberg’s Meta would be a “sane” alternative to Musk’s increasingly volatile Twitter. “Send me location,” replied Zuckerberg, neatly illustrating that obscenely wealthy men, too, can have fragile egos.
On Wednesday, Zuck threw the first punch. A day earlier than expected, Meta launched Threads, its own, noticeably Twitter-like “text-based conversation app”. Within 24 hours, it had 30 million signups, making it the fastest downloaded app in history.
Musk soon responded with a jab of his own, threatening to sue Meta, and saying Twitter had “serious concerns that Meta Platforms (Meta) has engaged in systematic, willful and unlawful misappropriation of Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property”. “Competition is fine, cheating is not,” tweeted Musk later.
Fisticuffs between tech bros is one thing (and if you think I’m stretching the metaphor, Zuckerberg spent Wednesday gleefully telling new users “round one is off to a good start”), but there are plenty who believe that Threads could potentially deliver a knockout blow to Twitter (OK, I’ll stop now). As well as promising sanity, Zuckerberg has said Threads will “[focus] on kindness”, a pledge likely to appeal to many of those who are put off by the increasingly toxic tone on Musk’s lightly moderated site.
But some are concerned about an even greater dominance of social media by Meta – don’t forget, it already owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, to which Threads is linked – and about the huge amount of personal data the app freely acknowledges it is collecting about users.
For today’s newsletter, I spoke to Dan Milmo, the Guardian’s global technology editor, about what the arrival of Threads means for Meta, Twitter – and their billions of users worldwide. But first, the day’s headlines.
Five big stories
UK news | A girl has died after a car hit a primary school in Wimbledon, south London, in an incident in which six other children and two adults were injured. The Metropolitan police confirmed that the driver of the vehicle, a woman aged in her 40s, has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
Covid | The government has lost its legal challenge to block Boris Johnson’s unredacted WhatsApps, notebooks and diaries from being handed over to the official Covid inquiry.
Politics | The Commons standards committee has said in a report that Chris Pincher, the former Tory deputy chief whip, should be suspended from the Commons for eight weeks over “grave” sexual misconduct. The suspension will automatically trigger a recall petition in Pincher’s constituency of Tamworth if approved by MPs. If 10% of constituents sign it, there will be a byelection.
Labour | Keir Starmer has said that a Labour government would focus on ending poverty just as strongly as Tony Blair’s 1997 administration in a speech where he set out the last of five self-declared missions, based around education and opportunity.
Ukraine | The US plans to send cluster munitions to Ukraine to help it battle Russian invaders, US officials have said. The weapons, first used in the second world war, were banned by more than 120 nations under a 2008 treaty which Russia, Ukraine and the US have all declined to sign.
In depth: ‘Meta is taking advantage of Twitter’s problems – they’re having a go’
For anyone in Britain above a certain age, the name Threads evokes a nightmarish vision of nuclear Armageddon, thanks to the era-defining 1984 BBC drama of the same name. For clarity – that’s not the vibe Zuckerberg is going for. “We are definitely focusing on kindness and making this a friendly place,” he told one early user.
Musk, perhaps unsurprisingly, is dismissive of the promise of a nicer place to hang out, tweeting: “It is definitely preferable to be attacked by strangers on Twitter, than indulge in the false happiness of hide-the-pain Instagram”.
Plenty may disagree, however. And after months of dysfunction and acrimony at Twitter since Musk bought the site last October, Threads might just be the alternative that many disaffected tweeters have been looking for – assuming it can shake off Musk’s lawyers’ cease-and-desist.
It’s a huge development in the tech world and has the potential to be highly significant well beyond, in the 100 countries where it has already launched.
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Meta makes a move
Whatever their plans before Musk’s takeover, says Dan, “Meta has admitted that what accelerated any idea they might have had to rival Twitter was essentially Elon Musk’s acquisition of it.”
Creators and public figures were telling Meta bosses that they wanted a platform that was “sanely run”, an executive said last month, and on Wednesday the head of Instagram said that the disruption at Twitter last weekend (which led to the platform scrambling to introduce limits on the number of tweets users could view) had accelerated their rollout of Threads.
“So you can definitely say that Meta and Mark Zuckerberg have taken opportunistic advantage of Twitter’s well-publicised problems. They’re having a a cheeky go.”
One question is: why? More than 30 million signups in a day is impressive, but Threads still has a long way to go until it rivals Twitter’s 250 million users, and Meta already has 2 billion signed up to Instagram, and almost 3 billion each on WhatsApp and Facebook.
“Meta is immensely profitable,” points out Dan (it earned $28.1bn in the first quarter of this year), “but if it wants to make more money, copying Twitter probably isn’t the way to do it, because Twitter is historically a loss-making platform, and Musk has failed to turn that around so far.
“What the boss of Instagram has said is that he is targeting cultural relevance for this new app, which is quite a telling admission on his part. It doesn’t feel like this is primarily financial opportunity – but it’s another means of keeping people within the Meta family of apps.”
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Finally, a ‘friendly’ social media site?
Many early reviews of the app, amid a giddy, “fancy seeing you here” atmosphere on its first day, have been broadly positive, and a couple of key things may be contributing to that. The first is that, to any user of Twitter, much on the platform will feel uncannily familiar. Tweets are called “threads” and retweets “reposts”, and a number of key Twitter features, such as being able to limit what you see to those you are following, are not available (yet). But otherwise it looks and feels remarkably like its rival.
The second is that, assuming you already have an Instagram account, setting up on Threads and connecting with friends there takes just a few clicks. (You can’t use Threads without signing up to Instagram first.)
That gives a convivial feel for now – but will Zuckerberg really be able to keep Threads “friendly”? It is true that Meta has a much more developed content moderation set-up than Twitter – much of the latter’s moderation network has been dismantled by Musk, and formerly banned users including Donald Trump and Andrew Tate have been readmitted to Twitter.
“But I wouldn’t want to portray Meta as angels,” says Dan. “Historically, Instagram has had massive issues with content moderation, as anyone who sat through the Molly Russell inquest would know.” The 14-year-old from London took her own life in 2017 after viewing thousands of posts on Instagram relating to suicide, self-harm and depression; the coroner at her inquest heavily criticised the company.
“So it’s important not to portray this as a perfect alternative. Social media platforms in general are always struggling to catch up with some of the issues on their site.”
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‘Under Zuck’s thumb’?
The direct connection with Instagram also highlights another potential concern: the huge dominance Meta already has in the social media sphere, which will only grow with the emergence of Threads.
It is very unlikely that competition authorities would let Zuckerberg buy another major competitor (as he did with Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp two years later), points out Dan. “That era is over. So his only choice is to build it.” Instagram’s Reels, directly copied from TikTok, was “an example of copy-it-and-hope-they-come-along”, he says; Threads was next.
Its launch has also illuminated the sheer amount of personal data to which Meta has access. Some new signups have balked at the long list of information that the app asks to collect, including health and financial data, contact details and location, browsing history, as well as your own user content and the details of your contacts.
Notably, it is concern about personal data use that has delayed the app’s launch in the EU, where legislation limits the sharing of user data across platforms.
“All your Threads are belong to us” [sic], tweeted Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s founder, on Thursday (he has his own Twitter rival, Bluesky, waiting in the wings, which is currently invitation only). An earlier tart comment by Musk about Threads – “I’m sure Earth can’t wait to be exclusively under Zuck’s thumb” – may have been motivated by professional rivalry, but he has a point.
Some may find they prefer a Zuckerberg platform to one run by Musk. But a leap from Twitter to Threads merely exchanges one immensely powerful corporation for another.
What else we’ve been reading
Two years ago, Ice Spice (above) was a relatively unknown artist, but her career has been turbocharged by virality, A-list mentors, and photoshoots for esteemed publications. Shaad D’Souza’s interview with her is guarded by an army of agents and managers but still a sense of authenticity and warmth radiates throughout the piece. Nimo
For years, Zadie Smith resisted writing a historical novel – and was determined to avoid the ubiquitous 19th-century character of Charles Dickens. In the New Yorker she explains how she finally gave in on both counts. Esther
Bungalows generally remind me of retirement villages. Not any more, writes Rebecca Nicholson, these beige single story buildings are now, apparently, cool. It’s all another symptom of the housing crisis. Nimo
It has Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and a $300m budget, but it hasn’t put bums on seats. Ryan Gilbey looks at why the new Indiana Jones movie has bombed at the box office, alongside another supposed summer banker, multiversal superhero film, The Flash. Esther
At one point the United Farm Workers was a powerhouse of a union. Founded by Cesar Chavez, in its heyday it boasted of a 60,000 strong membership. In the years since however, the union has experienced a steep decline. Steven Greenhouse spoke to the people attempting to revitalise the organisation. Nimo
Sport
Cricket | Australia were bowled out for 263 on the opening day of the third test, with Mark Wood, who missed the first two matches, announcing himself with a five-wicket haul to temper a century from Mitchell Marsh. England trailed by 195 at stumps on day one. Day two will now be key to ensuring this Ashes series is not lost at the earliest opportunity. Australia will be confident, however, having enjoyed the conditions when it was their turn to bowl.
Formula One | Lewis Hamilton has said he would support a peaceful protest by the Just Stop Oil group at this weekend’s British Grand Prix. Environmental activists are targeting a swathe of sporting events and strongly expected to take action at Silverstone. The seven-time champion, who has expressed sympathy with their cause in the past, believes they have a valid point to make. But Hamilton was unequivocal in stating that protesters should not climb on to the track or endanger lives.
Football | Real Madrid announced the signing of 18-year-old Turkish prodigy Arda Güler from Fenerbahce, beating out rivals Barcelona. They will pay an initial €17m with an estimated €8.5m in add-ons.
The front pages
The Guardian leads with “Court tells ministers to give Johnson messages to inquiry” while others focus on a deadly crash at a school. The Daily Mail reports “Horror at end of term tea party”, the Metro writes, “Horror at the school tea party”, the Sun leads with “Girl, 8, dies in school horror” while the Daily Express says “Horror car crash kills girl, 8, at school tea party” and the Daily Mirror writes “School tea party horror”.
The Times splashes on “Air controller strike set to ground summer flights” while the i leads with “Home Office paints over Mickey Mouse mural for children at asylum centre” and the Daily Telegraph says that “Welby gives backing to trans students on free speech”. The Financial Times reports that “Global stock markets tumble after US borrowing costs hit 16-year high”.
Something for the weekend
Our critics’ roundup of the best things to watch, read and listen to right now
Music
Anohni and the Johnsons: My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross
Whatever path you imagined Anohni’s admirably peripatetic career might take next, it’s unlikely you pictured it involving a collaboration with Jimmy Hogarth, songwriter for the likes of James Blunt. Whatever the reason, this may be the most approachable album she has made since the mid-00s – while still remaining deeply uncompromising. Alexis Petridis
TV
Ellie Simmonds: Finding My Secret Family (ITVX)
How much of a part did the Paralympian’s achondroplasia (a type of dwarfism) play in her birth mother’s decision not to keep her? In this one-off, Simmonds’s finds her adoption records – including a report on her mother’s state of mind. However, there is a happy ending, with the documentary standing as a testament to the profound generosity of spirit running through the Simmonds family. Lucy Mangan
Film
Smoking Causes Coughing
A team of superheroes called the Tobacco Force do battle with bizarrely rubbery monsters, in this fantastically silly and magnificently inconsequential comedy from French film-maker Quentin Dupieux. For the life of me, I can’t think of another director right now who wants (or is allowed) to do just straight comedy for theatrical release, without having to buy the right to do so by also being dark and disturbing. Peter Bradshaw
Podcast
The Retrievals
Widely available, episodes weekly
A new podcast from the makers of Serial is guaranteed to be good, but this – about how women’s pain is dismissed – is a particularly powerful one. This American Life’s Susan Burton investigates what happened at the Yale Fertility Center, where patients should have received fentanyl during an egg-retrieval procedure. Hannah Verdier
Today in Focus
What the raid on Jenin says about the future of Israel and Palestine
The biggest assault on the West Bank in 20 years could herald a new phase of this old conflict, reports Bethan McKernan from Jenin.
Cartoon of the day | Ben Jennings
The Upside
A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad
Fonio is a tiny golden grain believed to be the oldest cultivated cereal on the continent of Africa. It is easy to cook and versatile, and Pierre Thiam, a Senegalese-born chef, believes it could be a key part of solving some pressing environmental and economic problems facing many countries in west Africa. One way Thiam is championing the grain is by introducing it to brewmasters around the world and showing them what fonio could do for beer.
Not only does the grain provide beautiful, distinct flavours, it is a climate friendly crop. Growing a pound of malted barley has a 327-gallon water footprint and a pound of white rice requires 400 gallons of water, but fonio can thrive with just 600mm annual rainfall, and none of the irrigation, pesticides or fertilisers needed by other grains.
Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday
Bored at work?
And finally, the Guardian’s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day – with plenty more on the Guardian’s Puzzles app for iOS and Android. Until Monday.
