Twitter has issued a legal warning to Meta, the parent company of Instagram, over its newly launched text-based app, Threads. Just a day after the app’s release, Twitter’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, accused Meta of unlawfully utilizing trade secrets obtained from dozens of former Twitter employees.

According to Semafor, Twitter’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, sent a strongly worded letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, alleging the “systematic, willful, and unlawful misappropriation” of Twitter’s trade secrets and intellectual property in the development of Threads. Spiro claimed that Meta had knowingly hired former Twitter employees who still had access to confidential information, subsequently using it to create a “copycat” app that violated state and federal laws.

In response, Andy Stone, a spokesperson for Meta, took to Threads to assert that the engineering team behind the app did not include any former Twitter employees. Stone’s statement aimed to debunk Twitter’s accusations and defend Meta’s integrity.

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The involvement of Elon Musk, the entrepreneur and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, adds further intrigue to this legal battle. It is worth noting that Alex Spiro, Twitter’s lawyer, is also Musk’s personal legal representative. This connection underscores Musk’s interest in the dispute and his potential support for Twitter’s claims.

In a tweet, Musk voiced his opinion on the matter, stating, “Competition is fine, cheating is not.” Musk’s comment implies that he recognizes the significance of healthy competition in the tech industry but condemns any unfair practices or breaches of intellectual property rights. The fact that Musk is taking a public stance suggests that he views Threads as a genuine threat to Twitter’s dominance in the social media landscape.

Threads, Meta’s ambitious endeavor to challenge Twitter by leveraging Instagram’s extensive user base, has seen unprecedented success. Within a mere 18 hours of its launch, the app accumulated over 30 million sign-ups, signaling strong demand for alternative social media platforms. This surge in interest comes at a time when users are seeking respite from the perceived chaos surrounding Twitter under Musk’s leadership since his acquisition of the platform for a staggering $44 billion.