It was a trying weekend for those who still believe Mr Elon Musk has what it takes to turn Twitter into a success story. The embarrassment of having to limit the number of posts users could see each day – a move Mr Musk said was necessary to lessen strains on Twitter’s servers – was the surest sign yet that Mr Musk’s cost-cutting has come with real consequences, not the least of which is opening the door to competitors.

Mr Musk has been fortunate that no real, viable alternative has emerged since he acquired Twitter in 2022. That could change abruptly when Meta Platforms releases its planned copycat app, Threads, which could be launched any day now. (It briefly appeared on the Google Play Store last Saturday before disappearing. Meta has not commented on what happened.)