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What happened to Artifact? | TechCrunch

Jan 18, 2024 - techcrunch.com
Artifact, a news app created by Instagram's co-founders, announced its shutdown after failing to gain a significant user base and struggling to compete with rival apps. Despite its AI-powered features, modern design, and social features, the app saw a steep drop in downloads after its launch and struggled to expand beyond the U.S. market. Instagram and Artifact co-founder Kevin Systrom stated that the market opportunity was not large enough to warrant continued investment.

The app also faced stiff competition from other news aggregators like SmartNews, which managed to pull in far more users. Artifact also struggled to adapt to new ways people consume news in the age of AI, and its ever-growing set of features may have confused users about its purpose. Despite its closure, Systrom hinted at a possible return to the tech startup world in the future.

Key takeaways:

  • Artifact, a news app from Instagram’s co-founders, is shutting down due to its inability to gain a significant user base and compete with other news apps.
  • The app, despite its innovative use of AI and modern design, struggled to maintain downloads and user engagement after its initial launch.
  • Artifact faced stiff competition from other news aggregators like SmartNews and had difficulty expanding its user base outside the U.S.
  • The app's ever-expanding set of features and lack of clear focus may have confused users and diluted its initial aim of delivering a superior, AI-powered news reading experience.
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