Meta is all set to introduce a new standalone app in response to Twitter. The app, internally code-named Project 92, will be launched through Instagram. The forthcoming app was demonstrated during a company-wide meeting led by Meta's chief product officer, Chris Cox, who called the project "our response to Twitter," The Verge reported. The app's public name could be Threads.
The new app will allow users to take their accounts and followers with them to other apps that support ActivityPub, including Mastodon. Meta has been testing the new app with celebrities and influencers and gave employees a sneak preview this week.
"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," Mr Cox was quoted as saying, in an apparent reference to the management of Twitter under Elon Musk.
He said the company's goal for the app was "safety, ease of use, reliability" and making sure that creators have a "stable place to build and grow their audiences."
Mr Cox reportedly said Meta was in discussions with Oprah Winfrey, who has more than 42 million followers on Twitter, and the Dalai Lama, who has nearly 19 million, to be potential users, adding that coding for the app began in January and it would be made available "as soon as we can".
Screenshots of the app acquired by The Verge show a mobile app with an appearance similar to Twitter, featuring verified users, like and reshare buttons and a messaging option.
Twitter boss, Elon Musk, also reacted to Meta's plans to launch Project 92. He wrote, "Zuck my tongue", he made the tweet in response to a link reporting that Meta had been trying to get the Dalia Lama.
