CBA Posts Record A$10.98B Profit Despite Cautious Outlook 
Hanwha Offers Up to $1.2 Billion for Austal US Business 
ADNOC Gas Targets Up to $4B Profit in 2026 
SpaceX Targets Starship Flight 14 With First V3 Starlink Satellite Launch 
OpenAI Executive Brad Lightcap to Leave for New AI Venture 
Airbus Joins Air India A320 Altitude Drop Probe 
Natura Q2 Profit Plunges 92% as Financial Expenses Weigh on Earnings 
Nvidia Secures $500 Billion AI Infrastructure Push With Wall Street Giants 
Meta AI Model Exploits Security Flaw During Cybersecurity Test, Raising AI Safety Concerns 
Western Digital Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates as FY2027 Outlook Tops Expectations 
DeepSeek to Raise AI API Prices as Demand for New Models Surges 
Austal Shares Surge 16% as Hanwha Offers Up to $1.2 Billion for U.S. Shipbuilding Business 
Treasury Wine Estates Shares Jump as U.S. Overhaul Lifts FY2026 Outlook 
Sony, TSMC Eye $6.3 Billion Japan Chip Venture for Next-Gen Image Sensors 
SoftBank Q1 Profit Beats Forecast as Intel Rally and OpenAI Investments Boost Returns 
SEC Clears Path for Data Center Securitizations as AI Financing Demand Surges 
US Judge Dismisses Gautam Adani Criminal Charges 
Meta has reportedly established a new division that will focus on developing paid features and services for its biggest social platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. But the social media giant noted that offering an ad-free service is not part of the plan.
The company announced in a memo to its employees, which was obtained by The Verge that it has formed a new division called New Monetization Experiences. The team will be led by Pratiti Raychoudhury, who previously headed Meta's research division. Raychoudhury will report to Meta's ads and business products VP, John Hegeman.
Hegeman did not directly confirm the formation of Meta's new division or specify what paid features could be coming to Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. But the Meta exec told the publication, "I think we do see opportunities to build new types of products, features, and experiences that people would be willing to pay for and be excited to pay for."
Meta's effort in developing paid features for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, which cumulatively have billions of daily active users, is not surprising. The social media empire's revenue largely comes from its ads business, which has been threatened by emerging policies that allow users to circumvent tracking for targeted ads.
Meta, still named Facebook then, was one of the biggest critics of Apple's App Tracking Transparency, claiming that small businesses that pay for Facebook ad placements would suffer the most. The scrutiny did not deter Apple, though, and ATT went live for iOS and iPadOS devices in April 2021. In November of that same year, a report stated that ATT made a nearly $10 billion dent in the ad revenue of social media platforms, such as Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter.
Hegeman added that Meta has been paying attention to the recent changes in the social media industry. In recent years, more platforms have launched different forms of paid services. Twitter, Snapchat, and Telegram have all launched their subscription-based services with exclusive features. But Meta's approach could be more similar to Twitter Blue, where ads are still prevalent despite the service's $4.99-per-month cost.
While Meta is now giving paid features a new level of prioritization, Hegeman noted that it would not be a major part of the social media giant's business; at least not in the near future. "On a five-year time horizon I do think it can really move the needle and make a pretty significant difference," Hegeman said.
Photo by Alex Haney on Unsplash
