I don't think it's that low of a bar. Threads benefited from easy account creation and promotion from Instagram (2b MAU?)
Bluesky started from word of mouth invite only
Bluesky started from word of mouth invite only
Does anyone remember now Spoutible? Substack Notes? How about Spill, Hive, or Post? Being even with in anything approximating striking distance of Threads would have been a triumph for any of them.