After two years under Instagram head Adam Mosseri, Meta is officially handing off Threads to a new leader. Here’s what the change could mean for the app’s future.
As first reported by Axios, Meta is naming longtime executive Connor Hayes, formerly head of generative AI product, as the new head of Threads starting in September.
The move marks the first time someone outside Instagram will take the reins of the text-based social app, in yet another sign that Meta seems to be finally getting serious about treating Threads as more than just an Instagram sidekick.
Until now, Threads had been overseen by Instagram chief Adam Mosseri, who helped launch the app back in 2023. But in a staff memo sent Thursday, Mosseri said it’s time for dedicated leadership:
“Given Threads’ maturity, we think we need a dedicated app lead who can focus all of their time on helping Threads move forward.”
One would agree.
What will this mean for the future of Threads?
Hayes has been with Meta since 2011, and he’s held product roles across Instagram and Facebook. He was also part of the original team that build the first version or Threads.
His new position begins in mid-September, and once onboarded, he’ll manage all product, design, engineering, and research teams working on Threads.
He’ll still report to Mosseri, but the day-to-day responsibilities are shifting.
9to5Mac’s take
Today’s move comes at an interesting time for Threads. Just a few days ago, Similarweb reported that despite being behind X in global web traffic, Threads has been bridging the gap on mobile, averaging around 115 million mobile daily active users, compared to X’s 132 million.
Putting a gen AI exec in charge of Threads could hint at where Meta wants to take the app next, especially as it continues testing AI-generated content in users’ feeds.
It is possible that, with Threads still being relatively small compared to other Meta apps, the company might be thinking about using it as a testbed for AI features, before rolling them out more broadly to its other apps.
Do you use Threads? Do you always ask if anybody still uses Threads? Let us know in the comments.
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