The world of app development recently saw a dramatic twist of fate, with an unexpected player enjoying a surge in attention: Threads, a business communication app. Seemingly overnight, the Slack alternative found itself at the center of attention, experiencing an unexpected influx of downloads. But the reason behind this sudden popularity is as surprising as the event itself: Instagram's launch of a Twitter clone, also named Threads.
Instagram's Threads is a newly introduced platform that has already attracted millions of users. In the five days following its debut, it garnered over 100 million signups. The rapid growth of Instagram's latest creation is undeniably impressive. However, the buzz surrounding the platform's launch has inadvertently shone a spotlight on another player, a Slack alternative also known as Threads that came into existence back in 2019 with the backing of Sequoia Capital.
The twist comes from the fact that the Slack alternative Threads owns the Threads.com domain name. In contrast, Instagram's Twitter clone operates under the less appealing domain, Threads.net. As a result, due to domain name confusion, the Slack alternative Threads saw a significant increase in traffic and downloads just after Instagram launched its Threads. Data.ai figures show the Slack alternative Threads had over 880,000 downloads globally on iOS alone in just one week.
While this misunderstanding has undeniably increased the Slack alternative Threads' profile, the chances of these visitors turning into new businesses are relatively slim. The reason is users searching for Instagram's platform would quickly realize their mistake, leading to subsequent disappointment and, possibly, immediate uninstallation. However, this publicity could still be construed as beneficial, offering the app free exposure it wouldn't have otherwise gotten.
As the dust settles, it is clear that Threads (the Slack alternative) gained an unusual windfall from Instagram's launch of its Twitter clone. But as Instagram's Threads expands its reach, there could be further confusion, potentially leading to complications for the Slack alternative. The interesting turn of events underlines the importance of distinctive branding in the tech world and the unexpected consequences that can arise from shared app names.