Meta Unveils Twitter Competitor to Offer People a 'Sanely Run' Platform The company is in talks with Oprah Winfrey and the Dalai Lama regarding commitments to the app.
By Amanda Breen •
Facebook parent company Meta Platforms might have its sights set on the metaverse — but it's still making time for other big projects.
Meta revealed it will release a standalone app to compete with Elon Musk's Twitter at an all-hands meeting led by chief product officer Chris Cox on Thursday, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal.
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Twitter has struggled in the wake of Musk's takeover, with advertisers pulling out amid significant issues including the rise of hate speech. Sixty percent of Twitter users say they've "taken a break" from the platform in the past year, according to a study from the Pew Research Center.
Cox told Meta employees that creators and public figures told the company they want a "sanely run" platform; Meta is discussing commitments to the app with Oprah Winfrey and the Dalai Lama. Meta strives to launch the app, internally code-named Project 92, "as soon as we can," per the WSJ.
Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg also spoke at the meeting, noting that Apple's recently announced $3,500 Vision Pro headset doesn't provide any "magical solutions" and is less "accessible" and "affordable" than Meta's version of the product. Meta's Quest 3 is expected to hit the market this fall and start at $499.
Related: Meta's Layoffs Are Underway, Right on Schedule | Entrepreneur
Zuckerberg also touched on the company's extensive generative AI efforts, which include LLM-based "agents" with different personas for Messenger and Whatsapp.
Meta Platforms Inc is up nearly 44% year over year.
