Meta is the talk of the media industry with the launch of its new app, Threads. Amongst the various reports and articles, there is an undercurrent conversation and it’s one that Mark Zuckerberg would likely prefer was not spoken about. And that is Elon Musk. In almost every article you read about Threads, there is a comment about Musk. Not just about Twitter, which is expected as Threads is a direct competitor to Twitter, but about Elon Musk himself. Everything from his response to Threads, to speculation on what he will do next in response to the new app. In the spirit of “any publicity is good publicity”, Musk is benefitting from the press surrounding Threads to a level that not even Zuckerberg could have expected.

But why are we so captivated by this billionaire turned Twitter boss? Individuals will have their own reasons and some will argue that they don’t care at all, but overall, what drives this interest in Elon Musk is that he has brought something into the industry that we haven't had in a long time; mayhem.

With mayhem comes opportunity

If you look back over the last couple of decades, we’ve been riding a wave of normality. While there have been new platforms, shifts towards programmatic buying methods, and changes in consumer behaviour, none of these were unexpected. They were years in planning, derived from foreseen advancements in technology and, if you were doing your job right, you were prepared for them. But then Elon Musk came along, took over Twitter and suddenly we all weren’t too sure what would happen next - and we were captivated by this unfamiliar feeling of the unknown.

In less than a month of acquiring Twitter, Musk fired top executives, dissolved the board, laid off 4,000+ employees, faced mass resignations due to an ‘unbearable’ work ultimatum, and he both launched and paused the first iteration of the Twitter Blue verification model.

This all in just 22 days, and it left advertisers scrambling to decide the future of their brand on the platform. It forced almost every single advertiser on Twitter to think and act fast as to whether they stay or go; weighing up whether staying on a perceived spiralling platform for the sake of reaching consumers was more valuable than the risk of being seen to support a company that had left so many of their own out in the cold.

Yet despite all this mayhem, there are still many, many advertisers who remain on Twitter. And this is because with mayhem comes opportunity, another reason why our industry is experiencing ‘Musk mania’. The mayhem around Musk and Twitter is fast, often happens without warning, and leaves you guessing about what is going to happen next.

Agencies and brands who are in a position to react fast, and can look at perceived failure as growth, will be the big winners.

Will Threads save or kill Twitter?

Opportunity, however, doesn't just sit within Twitter. Enter Threads and the reason why I’m talking about our intrigue for Elon Musk. Threads is Meta’s solution to Twitter and to an extent, it has Musk to thank for the growth opportunity.

The mayhem at Twitter, while it scared some away, put the platform back in the news and back in the minds of advertisers. Mark Zuckerberg saw this and has clearly capitalised on it: Threads setting out to do what Twitter does but in a more refined way. It’s sleek, easy to get started on due to its links with Instagram profiles and brands are already getting involved organically in hope of reaching their consumers across a new platform.

While Threads is interesting and provides further opportunity for brands to engage with their consumers, I’m more interested in what Musk will do next now that Twitter is at risk from a true competitor platform. Will he finally add some stability and credibility back into Twitter? Or will he actually follow through with Zuckerberg and the cage fight?

While I can’t provide a definitive answer on this (or condone challenging people to cage fights), I can say that I’m more intrigued than ever about what Musk will do next to shake up our industry. And I'm sure I’m not the only one. So get your popcorn ready and settle in; we’re in for the antithesis of a ride of normality.