I think the that death of Reddit also contributes to Threads (apparent) popularity.

I do still think that someone should be able to leverage Mastodon to make a Threads clone for the European Market.

Step 1: Create a whole lot of European instances called something like “OpenThreads.it” and “OpenThreads.de”, etc.

Step 2: Pay TapBots to maintain a branded variant of Ivory called something like OpenThreads (or whatever). Include App advertising and provide a Subscription option to remove ads. Step 2a: Pay Imgur or whoever to host your users photos and videos.

Step 3: Regional native-language advertising through mainstream channels, Grassroots word of mouth and Astroturfing.

Step 4: Federate with as many friendly Mastodon instances as possible. Federate with Threads as well, until they change their minds and cause you of stealing their customers.

Step 5: Expand onto regions that are currently being serviced by threads, promising access to other OpenThreads users in Europe.