The antitrust trial involving the Federal Trade Commission and Meta commenced on April 14, featuring testimonies from various Meta executives. The spotlight was on Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, who shared insights regarding the app Threads during his time on the stand. Mosseri disclosed that the original concept for Threads was to include it as a feature within the Instagram app.

Meta launched Threads on July 5, 2023, but development traces back to October 2022, spurred by Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter. The Meta team began exploring ways to integrate text-based functionality into Instagram, initially introducing Instagram Notes in December 2022. However, the vision evolved, and by 2023, the company pivoted to creating a separate app dedicated to text-based posts, aiming to establish competition with Twitter.

Thus, the plan for Threads was never to release it as an independent app initially, but rather as an extension of Instagram. Mosseri emphasized that incorporating text posts directly into Instagram could create confusion among users, given Twitter’s distinct text-centric model. The decision to develop Threads as a standalone app was described as “very contentious” within the team.

Nonetheless, Threads is still closely tied to Instagram, requiring users to have an account on the latter to access the former. In another development, Threads is moving towards monetization. Until now, the platform has been free of advertisements, but it began testing ads in select markets earlier this year.

Currently, Meta is set to introduce video advertisements on Threads. Announced during the IAB NewFronts event, this initiative will involve a limited number of advertisers testing video ad formats that will appear amidst organic content. Specifics regarding pricing and ad frequency have not yet been disclosed.