Meta jumps on WhatsApp getting ads for the first time

Meta’s WhatsApp is getting ads for the first time — news that sent the stock up 2% in early trading. Meta bought the popular messaging app more than a decade ago but has heretofore kept it ad-free. Now ads will show in the Updates tab of the app to “help” the 1.5 billion people who use that section per day “find channels and products you’re interested in,” Meta said in a press release. Ads will not show in the personal messaging portion of the app, the company said.

Meta is, of course, great at making money from advertising (other stuff, less so). The company made about 98% of its revenue from ads last quarter.

Meta advertising vs. non advertising revenue — Sherwood News

Helping You Find More Channels and Businesses on WhatsApp

Meta is, of course, great at making money from advertising (other stuff, less so). The company made about 98% of its revenue from ads last quarter.

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$100B

Jon Keegan5h

Each day of the Musk v. Altman trial in Oakland, California, more details of Microsoft’s complicated $13 billion partnership emerge from the courtroom.

Yesterday, Microsoft executive Michael Wetter said that the company has spent over $100 billion on the OpenAI partnership. A big chunk of that came from the fact that Microsoft needed to build the costly infrastructure before OpenAI could use it, according to Wetter.

Microsoft’s investment looks like it was worth it, as OpenAI is currently valued at $852 billion, making Microsoft’s stake worth about $135 billion. OpenAI is planning for an IPO later this year.

Jon Keegan

Anthropic in talks for funding at a valuation as high as $950 billion, which would make it bigger than OpenAI

An improbable, parabolic rise in valuation has rocketed Anthropic past the presumed leader, OpenAI.

Rani Molla10h

Alphabet’s Waymo to add 200 square miles of coverage area to existing markets

Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, announced today that it’s expanding its coverage area by 200 square miles in several existing markets, including Miami, the San Francisco Bay Area, Houston, Austin, and Atlanta. That will bring its total coverage area to more than 1,400 square miles. The autonomous car service is currently offering public rides in 11 markets, after expanding to Nashville last month.

25%

Rani Molla10h

AI companies are amping up their spending in Washington as they push for federal approval for more data centers and industry-friendly rules regarding their use of copyrighted material, among other asks, The New York Times reports, citing data from nonprofit watchdog Public Citizen. 25% of currently registered federal lobbyists are now involved in pushing AI interests. That’s more than double what it was — 11% — in 2023. Meta, Nvidia, and Alphabet spent $47.8 million combined last year, up 22% from 2024.

FINAL BOSS

10h

SUBSCRIPTION TRUCKING

Rani Molla

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