According to CNBC, Meta’s AI app has experienced significant growth since the September launch of its Vibes feature, though it still trails OpenAI’s Sora in user experience and capabilities. The key distinction lies in Sora’s ability to produce more realistic videos with people talking, while Vibes only allows users to select pre-set songs as audio accompaniment. Meta has been paying creators to produce AI-generated content for Vibes to boost visibility, specifically targeting influencers who specialize in Midjourney tools and requiring them to sign NDAs. The company’s reliance on third-party AI models from providers like Midjourney and Black Forest Labs contrasts with OpenAI’s proprietary approach, coming amid a major internal reorganization that included laying off 600 AI employees last week while sparing chief AI officer Alexandr Wang’s core TBD Labs group. This strategic shift provides crucial context for Meta’s evolving AI approach.
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The Third-Party Model Gambit
Meta’s decision to power Vibes with external AI models represents a significant departure from the company’s traditional walled-garden approach to technology development. Historically, Meta Platforms has preferred building proprietary technology stacks, from its advertising infrastructure to its data centers. The move to incorporate models from Midjourney and Black Forest Labs suggests either a capability gap in Meta’s internal development timeline or a strategic decision to accelerate time-to-market at the cost of control. This approach carries both advantages and risks – while it enables faster feature deployment and potentially higher-quality outputs, it also creates dependency on external providers and complicates Meta’s ability to differentiate its AI offerings long-term.
The Sora Challenge and Market Positioning
The comparison between Vibes and OpenAI‘s Sora reveals fundamental differences in technical ambition and market positioning. Sora’s focus on photorealistic video with synchronized audio represents a push toward professional-grade content creation, which explains why Hollywood studios are reportedly concerned about its potential disruption. In contrast, Vibes’ surreal, playful content – from lions sharing pizza to singing hedgehogs – positions Meta’s offering squarely in the entertainment and social media space. This divergence reflects each company’s core strengths: OpenAI’s research-first approach versus Meta’s social platform expertise. However, the gap in technical sophistication could become problematic for Meta if AI video generation moves toward mainstream commercial applications.
Behind the AI Reorganization
The recent layoffs of 600 AI employees, coupled with the protection of Wang’s TBD Labs group, signals a strategic prioritization within Meta’s AI division. The company appears to be concentrating resources on foundational model development (like the Llama series) while potentially deprioritizing applied AI projects that haven’t met expectations. This restructuring follows the reportedly underwhelming launch of Llama 4 in April, which triggered Zuckerberg’s billion-dollar shakeup of the AI organization. The preservation of TBD Labs suggests that Meta sees Wang’s team as crucial to its core AI competitiveness, even as it streamlines other areas. This selective investment approach indicates Meta is preparing for a prolonged AI arms race where resource allocation will be critical.
The Paid Creator Strategy and Its Limits
Meta’s approach of paying creators to populate Vibes with content represents an interesting hybrid strategy between organic growth and manufactured virality. By targeting influencers already skilled with generative AI tools and requiring NDAs, Meta is attempting to bootstrap a high-quality content ecosystem while maintaining control over early user experiences. However, this approach faces scalability challenges – paying creators is not a sustainable long-term content strategy for a platform aspiring to mass adoption. The real test for Meta AI will come when ordinary users begin generating content without financial incentives, which will depend heavily on the accessibility and quality of the underlying tools.
Strategic Implications and Future Direction
Meta’s current AI trajectory suggests a company in transition, balancing short-term market positioning with long-term capability building. The reliance on third-party models for Vibes appears to be a stopgap measure while the company develops its own competitive generative video technology. The emphasis on entertainment-focused content through the mobile app interface allows Meta to leverage its social media expertise while buying time for technical development. Looking ahead, the key question is whether Meta can close the technology gap with OpenAI while maintaining the social engagement that defines its platforms. The company’s earnings report will likely provide further insight into how aggressively Zuckerberg plans to pursue this balance between external partnerships and internal development in the increasingly competitive AI landscape.
