Threads Reaches 500 Million Monthly Users 3 Years After Launch

Q: With a projected $11.3B revenue, when will Threads share ad profits directly with the creators who are building its platform?

There is no announced timeline for Threads to share ad profits directly with creators. Despite forecasts that Threads could generate about $11.3 billion in revenue by 2026, that figure refers to Meta’s advertising business on the platform, not creator payouts. The available reporting says Threads still does not offer direct creator monetization such as ad-revenue sharing, a creator fund, tipping, or subscriptions. Meta’s current strategy appears to be growth and ad monetization first. Threads has reached 500 million monthly users and is expanding ads globally, but the company has not publicly committed to when, or even whether, it will introduce a direct ad-split model for creators. Existing creator monetization programs highlighted by Meta are tied mainly to Facebook and Instagram, not Threads. The practical answer for creators is that Threads remains an indirect monetization platform for now. Creators are using it to build audience, drive traffic to Instagram, YouTube, newsletters, products, and paid partnerships. Brand deals and affiliate marketing are possible, but they are not the same as platform-level ad profit sharing. If Meta follows the pattern it used on other apps, direct creator monetization would likely come only after Threads’ ad business is more mature. Based on current reporting, that suggests 2027 or later at the earliest, but there is no official date.

3 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 16

500 million monthly users now use Threads, Meta said Tuesday, putting the app halfway to Mark Zuckerberg’s stated goal of building a 1 billion-user Twitter rival.
3 years after its 2023 launch, the short-form social network has also increased daily active users from a year ago, according to Threads head Connor Hayes, who gave no specific figure.
That growth claim cuts against external estimates that had projected Threads’ user base was declining, suggesting Meta’s platform has held stronger momentum than outside trackers indicated.
Threads was launched shortly after Elon Musk acquired Twitter, and the latest milestone underscores Meta’s progress in building a large-scale competitor in social media.