The potential spin-off comes amid TikTok's uncertain legal status in the US, following a law that could ban the app if certain conditions are not met. Meta's previous attempt at a TikTok competitor, Lasso, was shut down in favor of focusing on Reels. Sol Messing from NYU suggests that the success of a standalone Reels app depends on improvements to its recommendation system, which many believe is currently inferior to TikTok's. Additionally, launching a separate app could facilitate collaboration within Meta's generative AI team, aligning with the company's investment priorities.
Key takeaways:
- Instagram is considering spinning off its Reels feature into a standalone app as part of a strategy to compete with TikTok.
- Project Ray, an internal initiative by Meta, aims to enhance content recommendation algorithms and support longer Reels.
- Instagram has launched a video editing app similar to TikTok's CapCut and has offered cash bonuses to attract TikTok creators.
- The move to create a separate Reels app may be influenced by TikTok's legal challenges in the US and Meta's investment in generative AI.