Asian Stocks Slip as Oil Prices Surge and Fed Signals Inflation Risks 
Standard Chartered Q1 Profit Hits Record on Wealth and Investment Banking Growth 
OpenAI Faces Revenue Pressure and User Growth Challenges Ahead of IPO 
Meta Raises 2026 Capex Outlook Amid AI Spending Surge, Shares Drop After Earnings 
Asian Stock Markets Rise Amid Wall Street Rally and U.S.-Iran Tensions 
Oil Prices Ease but Remain Set for Strong April Gains Amid Middle East Tensions 
US Stock Futures Rise as S&P 500 and Nasdaq Hit Record Highs Amid Earnings Optimism and Iran Tensions 
US-Iran Conflict Escalates Amid Oil Blockade and Rising Global Tensions 
Dollar Holds Near Two-Week High as Fed Hawkish Shift Lifts Yields, Yen Near Intervention Zone 
Alphabet Earnings Surge on AI Growth, Cloud Revenue, and Strong Search Performance 
DeepSeek V4 Launch Signals China’s Growing AI Independence with Huawei Chips 
WuXi AppTec Stock Surges on Strong Q1 Earnings and CRDMO Demand Growth 
Yen Weakens After Intervention Spike as Dollar Stabilizes Amid Global Tensions 
Gold Prices Hold Steady as Iran War and Interest Rate Outlook Weigh on Markets 
FBI Warns of China’s Expanding Hack-for-Hire Network Amid Extradition Case 
Australia Inflation Surges in March as Fuel Prices Spike Amid Middle East Conflict 
Meta's new platform, Threads, once solely a mobile app, has now expanded to the web to contest X (formerly Twitter) as the go-to platform for celebrities, corporations, and governments. The move follows a lukewarm mobile debut.
Introducing a web version is crucial to attracting professionals and media figures, who tend to be the most active social media users during working hours, primarily posting from their computers. Instagram head and Threads leader Adam Mosseri announced, "Threads.net is now live for everyone. Let us know what you think."
Previously, Threads was solely accessible as a mobile app exclusively for iPhones and Android devices. However, Meta promises to bridge the gap between the web and mobile experiences, with ongoing improvements and added functionality coming to the web version in the following weeks.
During its initial release in early July, Threads achieved record-breaking download rates, surpassing AI sensation ChatGPT's previous feats. Nevertheless, the app's popularity waned swiftly as early adopters gradually decreased usage and expressed the need for a web version and other enhancements.
High-profile figures granted early access to Threads, including Jennifer Lopez and American Football star Tom Brady, have rarely utilized the platform. Meanwhile, rebranded as X, Twitter remains dominant in facilitating comments and disseminating news. However, X's standing has declined since Elon Musk assumed ownership, leading users to explore alternatives due to the resultant chaos.
According to Similarweb's data, daily active users on the Android version of Threads plummeted from a peak of 49.3 million to 10.3 million. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged in the early stages of the launch that the app would require time to stabilize before focusing on community growth.
While Meta's Threads faces an uphill battle in challenging Twitter's supremacy, the availability of the web version marks a significant step forward. Only time will tell whether Meta can gain a foothold in the highly competitive world of social media platforms, especially as users continue to seek stability and novelty in their online experiences.
Photo: BoliviaInteligente/Unsplash
