Instagram

Instagram is a social media platform that enables users to share photos and videos with their followers owned by Meta. With over one billion monthly active users, Instagram has become a powerful tool for businesses to connect with their customers, build brand awareness, and drive sales. Adam Mosseri is the head of Instagram. Competitors include other social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Snapchat.

Recent Articles about Instagram

Art by Clark Miller; Image via Getty.

LeBron’s AI Blunder, Tech’s Fortunate Bet on Trump

By Abram Brown · Jul 26, 2025 7:00am PDT

Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Sports execs’ favorite pastime? Venture capital• The Top 5: The best new startup accelerators • Plus, our Recommendations: “Autocracy in America,” “I Regret Almost Everything” and “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” LeBron James would like the internet to behave itself. Of course, it won’... Welcome, Weekenders! In this newsletter:• The Big Read: Sports execs’ favorite pastime? Venture...

Photo via Getty

The Education of Roku’s Anthony Wood

By Catherine Perloff · Jul 18, 2025 6:00am PDT

For years, Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood ran the streaming device maker with some strict rules. He wouldn’t allow advertisements on the Roku home screen—the first thing its viewers see when they switch on their TV—for anything besides other entertainment companies. He also wouldn’t allow the home screen to promote individual... For years, Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood ran the streaming device maker with some strict...

Photo via Getty

Creator Economy

Netflix’s Podcasting Challenge

By Kaya Yurieff · Jul 17, 2025 3:46pm PDT

Earlier this year, Netflix made headlines and stirred excitement among talent agents when co-CEO Ted Sarandos said video podcasts would likely start showing up on the streaming giant. Sarandos had framed the development as inevitable for Netflix, given the growing popularity of talk-show-like programming and the blurring lines between talk... Earlier this year, Netflix made headlines and stirred excitement among talent agents when co-CEO...

Lowe's CMO Jennifer Wilson. Photo: Lowe's

Lowe’s Bets Big on DIY Influencers

By Kaya Yurieff · Jul 16, 2025 2:00pm PDT

Lowe's CMO Jennifer Wilson. Photo: Lowe's

Creator Economy

Lowe’s Bets Big on DIY Influencers

By Kaya Yurieff · Jul 16, 2025 2:00pm PDT

Major retailers that traditionally spent a lot of their advertising budgets on TV have been leaning into working more with creators. One of the latest examples is home improvement giant Lowe’s, which is making a big push to team up with handy influencers. Through a “home improvement creator network” launched last month, Lowe’s is setting up... Major retailers that traditionally spent a lot of their advertising budgets on TV have been ...

Photo via Getty

Creator Economy

What We Know—And Don’t Know—About the New TikTok App

By Kaya Yurieff and Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Jul 8, 2025 2:00pm PDT

On Sunday, our team scooped that TikTok is planning a new version of its app for users in the U.S. ahead of a planned sale of the app to a group of investors. The news is generating a lot of buzz—and a lot of questions—among creators, everyday users of the app and TikTok employees and business partners who weren’t aware of the plans and are... On Sunday, our team scooped that TikTok is planning a new version of its app for users in the...

Misbah Uraizee and Farah Uraizee, co-founders of Nectar Social. Image via Nectar Social.

Creator Economy

A Startup’s AI Bots Scour Web for Social Sentiment

By Alex Perry · Jul 3, 2025 2:35pm PDT · 1 comment

As you might’ve noticed from our latest Creator Economy database update, fundraising by creator startups in the second quarter dropped from the year-ago quarter as well as the first three months of the year. It’s notable though, that investments in startups focused on artificial intelligence and marketing rose over both periods. In fact, funding... As you might’ve noticed from our latest Creator Economy database update, fundraising by creator...

Chart by Shane Burke

Creator Economy

U.S. Funding for Creator Startups Falls in the Second Quarter

By Kaya Yurieff · Jul 2, 2025 2:00pm PDT

The rebound for U.S. creator economy startups has once again faded.Funding for these American companies declined 8% to about $678.9 million during the quarter ending in June compared to the same period a year earlier, according to new data from The Information’s Creator Economy Database. Global funding was also down slightly, decreasing 3% to... The rebound for U.S. creator economy startups has once again faded.Funding for these American...

Photo via Getty

Why Meta Should Give Up on Superintelligence

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Jul 2, 2025 7:00am PDT · 7 comments

Photo via Getty

Why Meta Should Give Up on Superintelligence

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Jul 2, 2025 7:00am PDT · 7 comments

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg is on a tear in recruiting for a team focused on “superintelligence,” roughly defined as a more powerful version of artificial general intelligence, AI that can handle most of the economic work people do. Here’s a question, though: Why is Meta going after superintelligence?We can understand why Meta, as a... Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg is on a tear in recruiting for a team focused on “...

Photo via Adobe

Creator Economy

TikTok, Instagram May Worsen Streaming Ad Market’s Woes

By Kaya Yurieff · Jul 1, 2025 2:00pm PDT

The TV streaming market is getting awfully crowded! Last week, Kalley and I broke the news that Instagram and TikTok are both working on versions of their video apps better suited for TV screens, following YouTube’s success in the living room.It’s easy to understand why these social media companies want to get in the game. Advertisers generally... The TV streaming market is getting awfully crowded! Last week, Kalley and I broke the news that ...

Vice President JD Vance arrives at the U.S. Capitol today. Photo via Getty.

Silicon Valley Searches for Its JD Vance Angle

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Jul 1, 2025 1:42pm PDT · 3 comments

As President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” was being debated in the Senate over the past week, cracks were spreading among Republicans over a provision in the bill to block states from regulating artificial intelligence. Companies such as Meta Platforms, Andruil and Andreessen Horowitz pushed for it. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was also in... As President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” was being debated in the Senate over the past week,...

Photo via Getty

What Zuckerberg’s New AI Team is Good At

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Kalley Huang · Jul 1, 2025 7:15am PDT

In recent weeks, Meta Platforms has probably generated more buzz from hiring two executives and 14 artificial intelligence researchers—mostly from OpenAI—than from its prior AI efforts altogether. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Monday officially announced 11 of those researcher hires as part of a new organization, Meta Superintelligence Labs.The... In recent weeks, Meta Platforms has probably generated more buzz from hiring two executives and...

Sam Altman and Mark Zuckerberg. Photos by Getty

Meta Hires Four More OpenAI Researchers

By Kalley Huang · Jun 28, 2025 9:49am PDT · 10 comments

Sam Altman and Mark Zuckerberg. Photos by Getty

Meta Hires Four More OpenAI Researchers

By Kalley Huang · Jun 28, 2025 9:49am PDT · 10 comments

Meta Platforms is hiring four more OpenAI artificial intelligence researchers as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg continues an unprecedented recruiting effort to catch up to his AI rivals. The researchers, Shengjia Zhao, Jiahui Yu, Shuchao Bi and Hongyu Ren, have each agreed to join, according to a person familiar with their hiring. They follow four... Meta Platforms is hiring four more OpenAI artificial intelligence researchers as Meta CEO Mark...

Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise at the European premiere of F1. Photo via Getty

Apple’s “F1” Movie Opens, Spotlighting Puzzle Over Strategy

By Martin Peers · Jun 27, 2025 3:00pm PDT

Can I have a show of hands of those who plan this weekend to see the new Apple-made Brad Pitt movie, “F1,” which opened today in theaters? It is the kind of film—full of shots of cars racing at high speed—that surely looks better on the big screen. That’s definitely the view of Eddy Cue, the Apple executive with responsibility for the company’s... Can I have a show of hands of those who plan this weekend to see the new Apple-made Brad Pitt...

Art by Clark Miller.

Inside the Great AI Talent Auction: The Deals, the Free Agents—and the Egos

By Erin Woo · Jun 27, 2025 9:04am PDT · 2 comments

Say you’re at the top of your field. Say you’ve been promoted to be a senior researcher at OpenAI, watching the paper value of your equity swell as your company’s valuation goes from less than $20 billion to $260 billion in just four years. Say Mark Zuckerberg—yes, Zuck, personally—comes texting and calling, offering you tens of... Say you’re at the top of your field. Say you’ve been promoted to be a senior researcher at...

Travis Kalanick. Photo via Getty

Kalanick May Ride Pony Back to Prominence

By Martin Peers · Jun 26, 2025 5:00pm PDT

Welcome back, Travis Kalanick! We’ve missed you as a generator of news. The New York Times scooped the juicy news today that Kalanick is in talks to get Uber’s backing for a buyout of Chinese autonomous vehicle developer Pony.ai’s U.S. assets. Assuming the deal gets done, it may not involve big dollars—Pony’s market capitalization of $5.2... Welcome back, Travis Kalanick! We’ve missed you as a generator of news. The New York Times...

Unicorn co-founders Scott Dunn and Chris Gera. Photo: Unicorn/Chris Gera

A New Startup Runs a Studio to Make Hit Creator Shows

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 26, 2025 2:23pm PDT · 1 comment

Unicorn co-founders Scott Dunn and Chris Gera. Photo: Unicorn/Chris Gera

Creator Economy

A New Startup Runs a Studio to Make Hit Creator Shows

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 26, 2025 2:23pm PDT · 1 comment

Creator management firms help creators ink brand deals, but they typically don’t also have production facilities to help creators launch projects, such as recurring shows made for YouTube or TikTok.Scott Dunn and Chris Gera are taking a different approach with their new startup Unicorn, which is part talent management firm and part content... Creator management firms help creators ink brand deals, but they typically don’t also have...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

TikTok, Instagram Plot TV Apps Following YouTube’s Success

By Kaya Yurieff and Kalley Huang · Jun 26, 2025 12:01pm PDT

Rejoice, couch potatoes. TikTok and Instagram, following YouTube’s lead, are working on ways to make it easier for viewers to watch videos from their apps on TV screens. The social media giants see an opportunity to grab some of the ad dollars flowing to the streaming TV market. Meta Platforms’ leaders have said they are planning to develop a... Rejoice, couch potatoes. TikTok and Instagram, following YouTube’s lead, are working on ways to...

Photo by Getty.

Creator Economy

OnlyFans’ AI Skepticism Is Its Biggest Risk

By Anita Ramaswamy and Kaya Yurieff · Jun 25, 2025 2:06pm PDT

Recently, I argued that OnlyFans could sell itself for at least $30 billion, or nearly four times the price Ukrainian-American billionaire Leonid Radvinsky is reportedly considering, if only it finds an investor willing to overlook the stigma associated with porn. At the same time, though, the company faces the same threat looming over hundreds... Recently, I argued that OnlyFans could sell itself for at least $30 billion, or nearly four times...

From left: Morgan Absher, Host of Two Hot Takes, “The Bachelorette” star Rachel Lindsay, Jake Shane, Host of Therapuss and Roman Wasenmüller, Head of Podcast Business at Spotify. Photo by Getty Images for Spotify.

Creator Economy

Podcasters Want to Go Live On Spotify (Again)

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 18, 2025 1:00pm PDT

Podcasters are a visible presence at Cannes Lions this year, joining the several hundred creators in attendance. I caught up with three of them—Jake Shane, Rachel Lindsay and Morgan Ashley Absher— at Spotify’s beachfront event, and asked them what features they’d like to see Spotify roll out next. Their answer surprised me: They... Podcasters are a visible presence at Cannes Lions this year, joining the several hundred creators...