Also known as: Facebook-owner Meta · Meta AI · parent company Meta · Meta boss · Facebook owner Meta · Facebook owner · Instagram-parent Meta · Facebook parent
Meta — technology company operating WhatsApp, Instagram, and AI platforms, recently ordered by EU to allow rival AI chatbots on WhatsApp.
… Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and chief executive of Meta, the company that owns Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, has a similar holding of different classes of shares in his firm. …
… He noted that SpaceX was pricing itself compared to its sales at a ratio that is higher than any other major company included in what investors refer to as the “Mag 7” – Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Nvidia, Microsoft and Tesla, another of Musk’s companies. …
… He noted that SpaceX was pricing itself at a ratio relative to its sales higher than that of any other major company included in what investors refer to as the “Mag 7” – Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Nvidia, Microsoft and Tesla, another of Musk’s companies. …
… Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, argues the app stores should verify users’ ages, so parents approve which apps a child downloads, rather than each app doing its own checks. …
… Hackers could reportedly change passwords for other accounts by faking their location and then asking the AI to change the emails associated with them. “This issue has been resolved and we are securing impacted accounts,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone told users in a statement on …
… Meanwhile, social media companies, including Instagram-parent Meta, Snap Inc, TikTok, and Google’s YouTube, are facing a barrage of lawsuits from states, school districts, and individuals alleging they design their products to be addictive. …
China issued sweeping new rules on Monday tightening control of overseas deals that involve Chinese investors, technology, data and national security, a month after Beijing ordered Meta to unwind its acquisition of AI startup Manus. …
… Tech giants such as Meta and Google are increasingly owning and managing global connectivity infrastructure through projects like 2Africa, Equiano, and Project Waterworth. …
US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 100% import tariff on any European country introducing a digital services tax on American technology companies, warning the penalties would be applied immediately and supersede existing trade agreements. Britain's existing 2% Digital Services Tax, in place since 2020, raised over £800 million in 2024–25 from major US firms including Apple, Google, Meta, and Amazon.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 100% import tariff on any European country introducing a digital services tax on American technology companies, warning the penalties would be applied immediately and supersede existing trade agreements. Britain's existing 2% Digital Services Tax, in place since 2020, raised over £800 million in 2024–25 from major US firms including Apple, Google, Meta, and Amazon.
A Ghanaian technology startup called Relay has launched an AI-powered platform that helps businesses automate sales and customer service through WhatsApp, allowing them to manage enquiries, process orders, and receive payments without a website or app. The platform targets small businesses across Africa and emerging markets where WhatsApp is widely used for commerce.
The Trump administration is requesting that Meta submit its AI models for voluntary government review to evaluate their capabilities and vulnerabilities, according to the New York Times. Meta is the only major U.S. AI developer that has not yet agreed to voluntarily share its models with the federal government for review, though Meta told Reuters it is working through the details and hopes to sign the agreement soon.
Meta has appointed Kunal Shah, founder of fintech company Cred, to lead WhatsApp, elevating him from a prominent figure in India's startup ecosystem to leadership of a global platform with over three billion users. The appointment follows Meta's $900 million investment in Cred and occurs as WhatsApp seeks to expand into payments, business services, and AI-powered products.
Google's YouTube has settled a social media addiction case brought by a 15-year-old in Florida who alleged the platform was designed to be addictive. The settlement comes as other social media firms face similar litigation over accusations of fuelling a mental health crisis among children.
Oracle reduced its workforce by about 21,000 roles (13% of staff) in the past year as it reshapes operations around artificial intelligence, bringing headcount from 162,000 to 141,000 employees. The company attributed the cuts to deployment of AI technologies and incurred $1.8bn in severance and restructuring costs.
Meta is pausing its internal Model Capability Initiative program, which tracked employee mouse movements and keystrokes for AI training, while investigating data security concerns after sensitive employee data was found accessible to all Meta staff. The company said it has no indication that data was improperly accessed but is investigating the exposure.
WhatsApp boss Will Cathcart is leaving his role after nearly seven years, during which he scaled the platform to more than three billion users. Indian fintech founder Kunal Shah, who built Cred, will take over as head of WhatsApp.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans to ban social media sites such as TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram for under-16s, with restrictions on gaming and livestreaming platforms where children can contact strangers. The government expects regulation by year-end and enforcement around spring.
Elon Musk achieved trillionaire status on Friday with an estimated net worth of about $1.11 trillion, according to Bloomberg, driven by a record-breaking SpaceX stock market debut and the rising value of his stakes in Tesla and SpaceX over the past six years.
SpaceX has raised $75bn from financial firms ahead of its initial public offering on Friday, with shares priced at $135 each and an expected initial stock market value of nearly $1.8tn. If shares trade at or above that price, SpaceX will immediately become one of the most valuable public companies in the world.
The European Commission has ordered Meta to allow AI chatbots from rival firms to use WhatsApp for free while it investigates whether Meta's ban on third-party AI assistants from the WhatsApp for Business API breaches EU competition rules. Meta has reacted angrily and says it will appeal.
Elon Musk's SpaceX has announced a suggested share price of $135 in advance of its planned initial public offering, valuing the company at approximately $1.75tn and aiming to raise $75bn—which would be a record for an IPO if achieved.
Elon Musk's SpaceX said its shares should go for $135 each in an SEC filing, setting its valuation at roughly $1.75tn as it approaches an initial public offering set for next week. The move is unusual, as companies typically only share an estimated share price the day before trading begins.
Meta is scaling back its employee activity-tracking initiative after staff criticism, now allowing workers to pause data collection for up to 30 minutes at a time and request full exemptions from the program, which logs keystrokes and mouse clicks to train AI models.
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan is backing a ban on under-16s from social media as the only realistic way to address harms children face online, and warned that the manosphere's growing influence risks creating a "lost generation of young men." The position puts him ahead of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who has promised action on children's online safety but has not committed to an outright ban.
Instagram's AI support tool was tricked by hackers to give access to other users' accounts, allowing password changes after spoofing location. Meta said the issue has been resolved and impacted accounts are being secured, though it is unclear how many accounts were affected.
Florida has become the first US state to sue OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, alleging the company endangers children, aids mass shooters, and coaxes users into suicide in pursuit of profit. The lawsuit cites mass shootings at Florida State University and killings of University of South Florida doctoral students, in which the suspect allegedly asked ChatGPT about disposing of human bodies.
China issued new regulations on Monday tightening control of overseas deals involving Chinese investors, technology, data, and national security, taking effect July 1. The rules provide a legal basis for forced unwinding of completed overseas transactions and ban cross-border talent transfers in sensitive sectors without approval, following Beijing's order to Meta to unwind its Manus acquisition.
The internet is gradually fragmenting into multiple regional systems shaped by geopolitics and national sovereignty concerns, with Africa facing particular risks of digital dependence and economic exclusion due to weak infrastructure ownership and governance leverage.
Bill Winters, chief executive of Standard Chartered, apologized after describing employees vulnerable to AI replacement as "lower value human capital" at a conference. The bank expects back-office roles to be cut by about 15% over the next four years, roughly 7,800 of its 82,000 staff.
WhatsApp is testing a new placement for Status updates at the top of the chats tab to help users catch updates before they disappear in 24 hours. Meta chose Ghana for the limited test because of the strong WhatsApp community in the country and the quality of feedback expected from users.
Meta has notified employees in Ireland that up to 350 jobs are under threat as the company cuts 10% of its global workforce, roughly 8,000 staff. The tech firm, which employs about 1,800 people in Ireland, is increasing spending on artificial intelligence.
Meta has reached an amicable settlement with Breathitt School District in Kentucky, which had sued over mental health costs allegedly caused by the company's social media platforms. The case, a test case for over 1,000 US school districts pursuing similar claims, was settled alongside three other defendants: TikTok, Snap Inc, and Google's YouTube.
US chip giant Nvidia reported record quarterly sales of $81.6bn and net income of $58.3bn, with first-quarter revenue up 85% year-on-year, yet shares fell 1.6% in after-hours trading as analysts suggest investors have become accustomed to stellar results and cite growing competition concerns.
UK regulator Ofcom has criticised TikTok and YouTube for failing to commit to significant changes reducing harmful content for children, saying content feeds are "not safe enough" despite the platforms' existing safety features. Meta, Snap and Roblox agreed to stronger anti-grooming measures, and Ofcom said it would share concerns about ineffective age-rule enforcement with the government.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told employees in an internal memo that he does not expect more company-wide layoffs this year, even as the company laid off 10% of its global workforce and transferred 7,000 employees to AI-related initiatives this week, affecting about 20% of the company's total workforce.
Meta has notified employees that it plans to cut 10% of its workforce, roughly 8,000 staff, with up to 350 jobs at risk in Ireland. The company has submitted a collective redundancy notification to Ireland's Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment and cited increased spending on artificial intelligence as a reason for the cuts.
Google is releasing smart glasses in autumn with a small camera and speakers that let users interact with Gemini AI hands-free, more than a decade after the failed Google Glass. The glasses, designed by Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, will work with both Android and iOS devices, with a future version featuring an in-lens display in development.
Banking giant Standard Chartered announced it will cut more than 15% of its back-office roles, around 7,800, by 2030 as it increases its use of artificial intelligence and automation. The firm aims to move some affected workers to other roles in the business.