After two years under the leadership of Instagram’s Adam Mosseri, Meta is officially transferring control of Threads to a new leader. Here’s what this shift could signify for the app’s future.
As first reported by Axios, Meta is appointing longtime executive Connor Hayes, previously the head of generative AI product, as the new head of Threads effective September. This transition marks the first instance of someone outside of Instagram taking charge of the text-oriented social app, further indicating that Meta appears to be earnestly considering Threads as more than just an Instagram add-on.
Up to this point, Threads has been managed by Instagram leader Adam Mosseri, who was instrumental in the app’s launch back in 2023. However, in a staff memo sent on Thursday, Mosseri mentioned it’s time for dedicated leadership:
“Given Threads’ maturity, we believe we need a dedicated app lead who can focus all of their attention on helping Threads progress.”
One would concur.
### What implications does this have for the future of Threads?
Hayes has been part of Meta since 2011, occupying product roles across both Instagram and Facebook. He was also a member of the original team that developed the first version of Threads. His new role starts in mid-September, and once integrated, he will oversee all product, design, engineering, and research teams working on Threads. He will continue to report to Mosseri, but the everyday responsibilities are changing.
### 9to5Mac’s perspective
Today’s development arrives at a notable moment for Threads. Just a few days ago, Similarweb reported that while Threads trails behind X in global web traffic, it has been closing the gap on mobile, averaging approximately 115 million mobile daily active users, compared to X’s 132 million.
The appointment of a generative AI executive to lead Threads may suggest the direction Meta intends to take the app moving forward, especially as it proceeds to test AI-generated content in users’ feeds. It is conceivable that, given Threads’ relatively small size in comparison to other Meta apps, the company may be considering utilizing it as a test environment for AI features before implementing them more widely in its other applications.
Do you use Threads? Do you frequently inquire if anyone still engages with Threads? Share your thoughts in the comments.
