Elon Musk mocks Mark Zuckerberg launching Twitter rival

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, is reportedly exploring the possibility of launching a decentralised social network similar to Twitter. When the news was shared on Twitter, Elon Musk responded to it.

Dogecoin co-founder Billy Markus, who goes by the name Shibetoshi Nakamoto on Twitter, responded even before Musk did. He shared a meme and wondered if Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg decided to launch a Twitter rival because he thought everyone was upset with Elon Musk and people loved him.

To this, Elon Musk replied and wrote “Copy Cat”. Instead of writing “Cat” in letters, he used an emoji of a cat.

Facebook’s new social network, which has been codenamed "P92," would allow creators and public figures to share timely updates about their interests. A spokesperson for Meta has confirmed that the company is considering a standalone, decentralised social network for sharing text updates but declined to provide any further details.

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The proposed social network would be based on the Mastodon framework, which is an open-source decentralised social network that launched in 2016. Mastodon has seen a surge in popularity since last October, when Elon Musk's Twitter takeover began.

Meta's potential move into the social networking space follows its recent launch of Meta Verified, a subscription service for Facebook and Instagram users that includes a verified blue check-mark badge, similar to Twitter Blue, as well as other perks. Meta Verified is priced at $11.99 per month on the web and $14.99 per month on Apple's iOS.

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Zuckerberg has previously expressed interest in blockchain technology and its potential applications. In 2019, he wrote a blog post in which he outlined his vision for decentralised platforms and their ability to provide greater security and privacy to users.

If Meta does decide to launch a decentralised social network, it could represent a significant shift away from the centralised social networking model that Facebook has long been associated with.

(With agency inputs)