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- Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino said the platform had its “largest usage day” in five months.
- Although a chart from Cloudflare seems to show Twitter is actually declining in traffic.
- The Twitter higher-ups appear to be concerned by the rapid popularity of Threads.
Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino said Monday that last week saw the platform’s “largest usage day” since February.
“There’s only ONE Twitter,” she added. “You know it. I know it.”
That appeared to be a taunt aimed at Threads, the Twitter competitor app released by Meta last Wednesday which is estimated to already have reached 100 million users.
According to a chart shared by the CEO of security and cloud company Cloudflare, Twitter’s traffic has been decreasing since January — with this month its lowest ranking so far. A spokesperson for Cloudflare told Insider that the chart reflects the volume of requests that are coming into its domain name system resolver – 1.1.1.1, which is a tool that helps users access websites.
But Yaccarino’s statement seems at odds with this data, although the difference rests on what the word “usage” actually means.
“Cumulative user-seconds per day of phone screentime, as reported by iOS & Android, is hardest to game,” Elon Musk replied to her tweet. “I think we may hit an all-time record this week.”
—Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 10, 2023
If that’s what Yaccarino means by “usage” then it doesn’t necessarily mean Twitter is gaining in popularity, but users who are already on the platform are spending more time on it. In short, it’s a confusing metric.
What does seem apparent is that Twitter’s higher-ups are rattled by the competition from Meta.
Threads is still lacking several features, and its vision of a positive, friendly social network could end up being better for brands rather than humans, Insider’s Nathan McAlone writes, describing the new platform as “boring.”
But it’s prompting hostility between Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. This week, Musk tweeted “Zuck is a cuck” and proposed a “literal dick measuring contest.”
Zuckerberg, meanwhile, has been trolling Musk on Threads by reusing his distinct “concerning” response alongside a crying laughing emoji, appearing to mimic the way Musk often tweets.
Insider contacted Twitter for comment. The company responded with an automated message that didn’t address the inquiry.
