Meta Partners with Midjourney to Power the Next Era of AI Creativity
- Meta partners with AI startup Midjourney to boost image and video generation tools.
- The deal strengthens Meta’s efforts to compete with OpenAI, Google, and other AI leaders.
- Founded in 2022, Midjourney is already a major player, earning $200M revenue with subscription-based services.
Meta has announced a new partnership with Midjourney, the fast-growing AI startup known for its advanced image and video generation technology. The deal was revealed by Meta’s Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang in a post on Threads. He said Meta’s research teams will work closely with Midjourney to bring its technology into future AI models and products.
Wang explained that Meta is taking an 'all-of-the-above' approach to strengthen its AI efforts. This means hiring the best talent, building strong computing power, and working with leading companies in the industry.
The partnership could help Meta compete with top AI products already in the market, such as OpenAI’s Sora, Google’s Veo, and Black Forest Lab’s Flux. Meta already has its own tools the image generator 'Imagine', which is available on Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger, and the video generator 'Movie Gen', which creates videos from text prompts. The tie-up with Midjourney could give Meta an edge in making these tools more powerful and realistic.
This move is part of Meta’s wider push to stay ahead in the global AI race. Earlier this year, CEO Mark Zuckerberg launched a major hiring drive, offering top AI researchers pay packages worth over $100 million. Meta also invested $14 billion in Scale AI and bought the voice startup Play AI. The company has been in talks with several AI labs about possible deals. Reports even suggested that Zuckerberg discussed joining Elon Musk’s $97 billion takeover bid of OpenAI, though Meta did not take part and OpenAI denied Musk’s offer.
Also Read: Meta Invests $14.3 Billion in Scale AI, Taps CEO Alexandr Wang to Join Superintelligence Team
While the financial details of the Midjourney deal have not been shared, Midjourney CEO David Holz confirmed that his company remains independent and has no outside investors. He also said Meta previously showed interest in acquiring the startup, but Midjourney chose to continue operating on its own.
Founded in 2022, Midjourney quickly became a leader in AI-generated art with its unique, realistic style. By 2023, it was on track to make $200 million in revenue through subscription plans starting at $10 per month. Higher-tier subscriptions go up to $120 per month. In June, the company also released its first video generation model, V1.
