Meta Pauses Employee Activity Tracking Program Over Data Security Concerns 
Tencent Reviews Marvelous Stake as Gaming Giant Reassesses Global Investment Strategy 
Oracle Cuts 21,000 Jobs as AI Reshapes Workforce and Cloud Expansion Accelerates 
John Jumper Leaves Google DeepMind for Anthropic Amid Intensifying AI Talent Race 
Kioxia Targets U.S. Listing as AI Chip Boom Accelerates 
WiseTech Global Denies Knowledge of Investigation Into Founder Richard White 
Alibaba Shares Fall After Anthropic Alleges Massive AI Model Distillation Campaign 
Samsung and SK Hynix Shares Jump After Micron Earnings Boost AI Chip Optimism 
Google’s Open-Source AI Data Center Cooling Design Raises Commoditization Concerns 
Micron Stock Surges on Strong AI Demand, Record Revenue, and Bullish Q4 Forecast 
World Cup technology: from ref cams to AI analysts, cutting-edge research is changing the game 
Qualcomm Nears $4 Billion Acquisition of AI Chip Startup Modular 
Doncasters Raises $919 Million in NYSE IPO as Aerospace Growth Accelerates 
Trump Says Anthropic No Longer Seen as National Security Threat 
Anthropic AI Model Uncovers Vulnerabilities in Classified U.S. Government Systems During Security Test 
US-Iran De-Escalation Shifts Washington’s Focus to AI Regulation and Crypto Legislation 
Cerebras Revenue Forecast Tops Expectations, but Margin Concerns Weigh on Stock 
Instagram creators that offer paid subscriptions to their fans will have more ways to share exclusive content, thanks to a set of new features Meta announced on Thursday. The social media giant is also allowing Instagram creators to directly DM their subscribers in a more close-knit setting.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the new subscription features on Thursday in an Instagram Story, where he also provided a preview of the new functionalities launching on the platform. Creators will be able to share exclusive Reels and Feed Posts to their subscribers.
Fans can easily find these posts through a new dedicated Subscriber Home tab for subscriber-only content. Instagram will also allow creators to directly communicate with their subscribers through group chats.
From Mark Zuckerberg (@zuck) / Instagram Story
These subscriber-only group chats will be different from the usual channels, where creators can directly reach out to their fans. Instagram head Adam Mosseri said in a video that each group chat will let creators DM up to 30 subscribers. This means creators are getting a chance to communicate with their fans in a more close-knit setup.
Instagram has been introducing new features in an apparent attempt to compete better with TikTok. For one, the Meta-owned platform has been focused on making Reels one of the main features of the app. It also quickly introduced ways on how creators can monetize Reels on Facebook and Instagram.
On the other hand, one of the criticisms TikTok has received is the lack of a monetization program, where creators have a more defined and regular flow of income regularly. And the introduction of Instagram Subscriptions seemed to be one of the ways Meta intended to compete with TikTok on this aspect.
“We want Instagram to be the best place online for creators to make a living. And a really important thing to creators everywhere is sustainable income because, at the end of the day, if you’re a creator, you’re a business,” Mosseri noted in the same video. “And a great way to establish some sustainable and predictable income is through subscriptions.”
The Instagram Subscriptions alpha went live last January and was made available to a small group of creators. But Mosseri said they have since expanded the service to “tens of thousands of creators in the United States.” It remains unclear, though, when subscriptions will roll out globally.
Photo by Omkar Patyane from Pexels
