Meta recently revealed to employees a solo app it plans to launch through Instagram in competition with Twitter, according to people with knowledge of the matter, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Chief Product Officer Chris Cox told Meta employees that the company has heard from public figures and creators who desire “a sanely run” platform. The company is currently in talks to have celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and public figures like the Dalai Lama commit to using the app, Cox said, adding that the company is planning to launch “as soon as we can.”
The app has been reported as being internally code-named Project 92, a person with knowledge of the software said.
Late Last year, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk finalized his $44 billion purchase of Twitter and quickly fired multiple executives. He later revealed that the social media giant “has interfered in elections” before vowing to make the platform more “effective, transparent and even-handed.”
In September, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry revealed that a lawsuit filed earlier last year forced the Department of Justice (DOJ) to reveal emails exposing at least 45 federal officials who “communicate[d] with social media platforms about ‘misinformation’ and censorship,’” including Twitter.
The emails showed the Biden administration colluded with social media companies to censor Americans in an effort that involved officials at the White House, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, State Department, Treasury Department, U.S. Election Assistance Commission, and more.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerburg also spoke at the meeting, commenting on rival company Apple’s recently announced $3,500 Vision Pro headset. Zuckerberg reportedly said he was glad Apple did not give any “magical solutions…to any of the constraints on laws and physics that our teams haven’t already explored and thought of.”
Zuckerberg’s statements came a week after the company announced the Quest 3, the most recent edition of Meta’s computing headset. The device is expected to start at $499 when it goes on sale this fall.
“Their announcement really showcases the difference in the values and the vision that our companies bring to this in a way that I think is really important,” Zuckerberg said, according to people familiar with the meeting. “We innovate to make sure that our products are as accessible and affordable to everyone as possible.”
