In letter addressed to Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk's lawyer expressed
concerns about alleged misappropriation of Twitter's trade secrets
Elon
Musk's Twitter is gearing up for a potential lawsuit against Meta, the
parent company of Instagram, following the launch of Meta's new app,
Threads.
The move intensifies the rivalry between the struggling
Musk-owned social media platform and Mark Zuckerberg's Meta. Musk's lawyer
accuses Meta of unlawfully using Twitter's trade secrets and intellectual
property in the development of Threads.
In a letter addressed to
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Alex Spiro, the lawyer representing Musk,
expressed concerns about the alleged misappropriation of Twitter's trade
secrets. Spiro claimed that Meta had hired former Twitter employees who had
access to confidential information, potentially aiding in the development of
Threads. The letter demands that Meta immediately cease using Twitter's
trade secrets and intellectual property.
Musk, known for his outspoken nature, took to Twitter to
express his thoughts on the matter. He criticised the Threads app, comparing
its logo to a tapeworm metaphorically.
Meta's new app logo looks like a tapeworm. 🪱 pic.twitter.com/24WxQoQpnm
— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) July 6, 2023
Musk also tweeted, "Competition is fine, cheating is not,"
implying his stance on the alleged misuse of trade secrets.
NEWS: Twitter is threatening to sue Meta over "systematic, willful and unlawful misappropriation" of Twitter's trade secrets and IP, as well as scraping of Twitter's data, in a cease-and-desist letter sent yesterday to Zuckerberg by Elon's lawyer Alex Spiro. pic.twitter.com/enWhnlYcAt
— T(w)itter Daily News (@TitterDaily) July 6, 2023
The dispute between Twitter and Meta raises questions about the
hiring practices and protection of intellectual property within the tech
industry. Meta denies any involvement of former Twitter employees in the
creation of Threads, asserting that no engineers on the Threads team have
previously worked for Twitter. Twitter, on the other hand, insists that Meta
intentionally assigned these employees to accelerate the development of
their competing app using Twitter's trade secrets.
Elon Musk also views the Meta's step to launch the Threads app
as monopolising the social media space, which he believes is a
disappointment.
🚨 The dangers of a world where Zuck controls ALL social media:
— Alex Valaitis (@alex_valaitis) July 6, 2023
Like many other people, I've been having fun playing with the new app.
But it's important to remember what is at stake here...
Zuck already controls the largest:
-Messaging apps on the planet (WhatsApp,… pic.twitter.com/Inq2iiugQ8
Experts and users have offered mixed opinions on Threads. Some
view it as a promising alternative to Twitter, while others express concerns
about privacy and Meta's data collection practices. The delayed launch of
Threads in the European Union due to regulatory issues further complicates
Meta's expansion plans.
Legal battles over trade secrets are not
uncommon in the tech industry. Previous cases involving companies like Waymo
and Uber have had significant consequences, including hefty settlements and
criminal charges. The ongoing lawsuit between Musk's Twitter and
Zuckerberg's Meta will undoubtedly impact the social media landscape and the
future of both platforms.
