Meta built its AI reputation on openness — that may be changing

Meta acquires voice startup Play AI

Meta has acquired Play AI, a startup that uses AI to generate human-sounding voices. A Meta spokesperson has confirmed the acquisition, according to Bloomberg, which also reports that an internal memo stated that the “entire PlayAI team” will be joining the company next week. (TechCrunch has also reached out to Meta for confirmation.) Meta’s memo…

Read More
Meta reportedly recruits Apple’s head of AI models

Meta reportedly recruits Apple’s head of AI models

Apple’s head of AI models, Ruoming Pang, is leaving the company to work at Meta, Bloomberg reported on Monday. This marks the latest high-ranking AI executive Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has scooped up to lead his new AI superintelligence unit. Pang previously ran Apple’s in-house team that trained the AI foundation models that underpin Apple…

Read More
Threads is nearing X’s daily app users, new data shows

Threads is nearing X’s daily app users, new data shows

Instagram Threads is close to catching up to top competitor X in terms of mobile app users, according to new data from market intelligence provider Similarweb. In June 2025, Threads’ mobile app for iOS and Android saw 115.1 million daily active users, representing 127.8% year-over-year growth; X reached 132 million daily actives, as its year-over-year…

Read More
Threads is nearing X’s daily app users, new data shows

Not everyone is thrilled with Threads’ DMs

Earlier this week, Instagram Threads launched what the company said was its most-requested feature to date: direct messages (DMs). However, the company is now facing a bit of a user backlash over the addition, as users, primarily women, are arguing that there should be a way to opt out of DMs entirely, citing harassment concerns….

Read More
Threads launches its own DM inbox, as app moves further away from Instagram

Threads launches its own DM inbox, as app moves further away from Instagram

Instagram Threads is rolling out users’ most-requested feature to date: the ability to message people directly, without having to switch to another app, like Instagram. The company said direct messages (DMs) will begin rolling out to users globally beginning on Tuesday, alongside a new visual element called highlighter. The latter will emphasize interesting perspectives and…

Read More