Meta has appointed Connor Hayes, its vice president of product for generative AI, as the new head of Threads.

Previously, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, oversaw Threads. With the platform’s growth beyond a feature of Instagram, Meta has decided to implement dedicated leadership.

Launched in 2023, Threads has now averages approximately 115 million daily active users on mobile, compared to 132 million on X (formerly Twitter), according to data from Similarweb.

Meta has not yet commented on this leadership change.

🔗 Source: TechCrunch

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Meta’s deliberate platform expansion strategy follows historical successes

Meta’s appointment of a dedicated Threads leader mirrors its previous platform development strategies, such as with Instagram and WhatsApp.

When Instagram reached critical mass around 2014-2016, Meta (then Facebook) separated its leadership structure from the core Facebook team, allowing it to develop its own identity and business approach 1.

Threads’ current 115 million daily active users represents a significant milestone where specialized leadership becomes necessary, approaching X’s 132 million DAUs despite being much newer to the market 2.

This leadership transition reflects Meta’s philosophy of fostering platforms within existing apps before spinning them off once they demonstrate substantial growth potential.

The separation typically occurs when a feature reaches between 10-20% of the parent platform’s user base, as seen with Instagram Reels (initially managed within the Instagram team before getting dedicated leadership) 3.

With Threads having crossed 350 million monthly active users, this leadership change signals Meta’s confidence in the platform’s long-term viability as a standalone product rather than just an Instagram feature.

2️⃣ AI expertise becomes central to social media leadership strategy

Connor Hayes’ background as VP of Product for Generative AI highlights Meta’s focus on integrating advanced AI capabilities into its social platforms.

Hayes previously played a key role in Instagram Reels, suggesting Meta is leveraging leadership expertise from prior successful products for emerging platforms 3.

Recent Meta developments