Meta news and trends

Report: Meta Seeks Stake in Smart Glasses Partner EssilorLuxottica
Acquisitions // July 18, 2024

Meta is reportedly looking to buy a stake in its smart glasses partner EssilorLuxottica. The tech company is in talks to acquire a 5% stake in the eyewear maker, which owns the Ray-Ban brand, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Thursday (July 18), citing unnamed...

Fashion Brands Drop Virtual Goods to Drive Omnichannel Engagement
Retail // July 15, 2024

From the metaverse to video game worlds, fashion companies are releasing digital clothing and accessories to create new sales opportunities and get consumers to engage more with their brands. Vans, for instance, is expanding its presence within online game platform and game creation system Roblox....

CE 100 Index Gains 1.3% as Big Banks Post Earnings
Connected Economy // July 15, 2024

Earnings season is in full swing, as big banks – specifically, JPMorgan and Citigroup – helped sway the fortunes of the CE 100 Index. The Index was up 1.3% for the week, as the bank earnings detailed relative strength in consumer spending, though company management...

F&B Brands Enter Virtual Worlds to Reach New Consumers
Retail // July 10, 2024

As food and beverage brands look for new ways to drive acquisition and loyalty, key players are turning to virtual worlds to reach consumers in more parts of their day-to-day digital routines. Take, for instance, video game worlds. Quick-service restaurant (QSR) chain Whataburger announced Monday...

Interviews & Exclusives
CE 100 Index Gains 1.3% as Big Banks Post Earnings

July 15, 2024
Earnings season is in full swing, as big banks – specifically, JPMorgan and Citigroup – helped sway the fortunes of the CE 100 Index. The Index was up 1.3% for the week, as the bank earnings detailed relative strength in consumer spending, though company management at Citi and at JPMorgan took note of pressures facing […]

AI’s Tour de France Showing Generates Controversy

July 04, 2024
The promise of artificial intelligence to generate images from simple text prompts has captured imaginations, with tools like DALL-E and Midjourney producing visuals. Yet, as users push the boundaries of...

How Many Chips Could You Buy With $74 Billion?

July 01, 2024
As tech giants worldwide scramble to dominate the artificial intelligence (AI) chip market, South Korea’s SK Hynix is making a $74.6 billion wager that could redefine the semiconductor industry —...

Will Gen Z Put a New Face on Social Commerce?

June 04, 2024
Meta’s recent news that it is seeing a surge in younger users may help set the stage for a rising tide in social commerce. The platform model — not just...

Quick Reads
Meta Suspends AI Tools in Brazil Amid Privacy Policy Dispute

July 18, 2024
Meta has reportedly suspended its generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in Brazil after one of the country’s regulators objected to part of the company’s privacy policy. Earlier in July, Brazil’s National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) suspended the validity of Meta’s new privacy policy, saying the company would have to exclude the section about the processing […]

Report: Meta Seeks Stake in Smart Glasses Partner EssilorLuxottica

July 18, 2024
Meta is reportedly looking to buy a stake in its smart glasses partner EssilorLuxottica. The tech company is in talks to acquire a 5% stake in the eyewear maker, which...

X Growth Reportedly Slows Since Musk Takeover

July 09, 2024
User growth at X has reportedly slowed since Elon Musk’s takeover in 2022. As the Financial Times (FT) reported Tuesday (July 9), the social media platform once known as Twitter...

Threads Gains 175 Million Users in First Year

July 03, 2024
About a year after its launch, Threads has topped 175 million monthly active users. “Threads now has more than 175M monthly actives. What a year,” Meta Founder, Chairman and CEO...