In comments on a podcast released on September 9 (local time), Zuckerberg said Threads has 500 million monthly users—half of its goal of reaching 1 billion.
X does not disclose its user figures, making a direct comparison impossible. “The AI and tech communities are still on X,” Zuckerberg said.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Threads has a user base comparable to, or possibly larger than, that of Elon Musk’s X.
Zuckerberg said, “Threads is doing well, and I think it is either bigger than X at this point or will be soon.” Threads has 500 million monthly users, half of the 1 billion-user target Meta set when the service launched in July 2023.
He also said he continues to post on X because people in the AI and technology industries remain active there.
Meta shares rose 0.7% in premarket trading that day, although they remained down 7% from the beginning of the year.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Threads has caught up with X.
Zuckerberg made the comment during a podcast interview with Alex Heath, a journalist who runs the technology publication Sources. The interview was released on September 8 (local time).
Meta shares rose 0.7% in premarket trading on September 9. Premarket trading refers to transactions conducted before regular market hours. However, Meta shares were still down 7% from the beginning of the year.
500 Million, Half the Goal
Threads has 500 million monthly active users, according to a figure Meta announced on June 16.
When Meta launched Threads in July 2023, Zuckerberg set a goal of reaching 1 billion users. The service has therefore reached half that target in three years. Threads was introduced as a rival to X following Musk’s acquisition of Twitter.
Its connection with Instagram is considered a major factor behind its growth. Instagram has approximately 3 billion users, and people can sign up for Threads directly using their Instagram accounts.
X Does Not Disclose Its User Figures
There are limits to the comparison. X no longer discloses its own user metrics.
External estimates suggest that Threads has pulled ahead. According to market researcher Similarweb, Threads surpassed X for the first time in average daily mobile users worldwide during the third week of September 2025. At the time, Threads had 130.2 million users compared with X’s 130.1 million, a gap of 100,000 users. In April this year, Threads had 135.7 million average daily users worldwide compared with X’s 126.9 million, a difference of 8.8 million.
The results are different in the United States. As of April, X had 21.3 million average daily users in the U.S., compared with 18.3 million for Threads. X remained ahead.
Zuckerberg has not left X either. He said, “Some of the community is on X, and I want to communicate where people are.” He explained that people working in the AI and technology industries remain active on X. Meta posts on both Threads and X.
Muse Released the Previous Day
On September 8, Meta unveiled Muse, a personal AI agent.
It is not a chatbot that simply answers questions, but a service that performs tasks on a user’s behalf. It can send emails, book trips, fill out forms, and purchase items. It can also negotiate subscription fees, turn recipe videos into shopping lists, and send party invitations. Muse continues working even after the app is closed.
It can be connected to a user’s email, calendar, payment methods, health apps, and smart-home services. Payments use Stripe’s Link service. Support for Shop Pay and 1Password will be added later.
Meta also introduced a security architecture for the service. Muse runs in an isolated virtual computer called Muse Secure VM, which keeps user data separate. A separate agent called Sentinel controls internet access. Sensitive tasks, such as sending emails or making payments, require user approval. Meta said Muse does not share users’ conversations or data with its advertising systems.
The service is currently available in the United States. It can be used on the web at muse.ai, as well as on iOS, Android, and WhatsApp. Support for AI glasses will come later. The service has three plans: free, Power at $20 per month, and Maximum at $100 per month. Meta has not announced a launch schedule for South Korea.
There are competing services as well. Google has released Gemini Spark, while Anthropic has launched Claude Cowork. All of these services are designed to have AI perform real tasks through a user’s accounts.
Trust Is Key
In an article introducing Muse, TechCrunch highlighted Meta’s history concerning privacy.
Meta reached privacy-related settlements with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission in 2011 and 2019. In 2018, the Cambridge Analytica scandal revealed that user data had been transferred to a political consulting firm. In 2019, users’ passwords were exposed. Just weeks before Muse’s launch, Meta reached an $18 billion settlement over allegations concerning the harm social media caused to children.
AI agents have access to users’ email accounts and payment methods. Their scope of authority is broader than that of conventional chatbots.
The Musk Rivalry
Zuckerberg’s comments came as his competition with Musk expanded beyond social media platforms.
Musk’s xAI acquired X in 2025. On February 2 this year, SpaceX absorbed xAI. The merger was valued at $1.25 trillion, making it the largest ever. SpaceX went public on June 12, and Musk became the world’s first trillionaire through the transaction.
X is now a service operating under a space company. Threads, meanwhile, is part of Meta, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp. The two services are competing for users within two different corporate structures.