Meta has virtually no AI users compared to OpenAI’s 900M, says Big Technology’s Kantrowitz

Alex Kantrowitz, laminitis of Big Technology and a CNBC contributor, delivered a pointed critique of Meta's AI positioning this week, and the halfway of his statement comes down to 1 number: 900 cardinal play progressive users connected OpenAI's ChatGPT.

"You person OpenAI gathering ChatGPT, which has 900 cardinal play progressive users. Who knows, possibly it's a cardinal close now. And however galore intentional AI users does Meta have? Nothing adjacent to that."

That connection "intentional" is doing a batch of work. Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) has its ain header number: Zuckerberg disclosed successful Q1 2025 that Meta AI had "almost 1 cardinal monthly actives." But Kantrowitz's statement is that those 2 figures are not the aforesaid thing. Meta AI is embedded crossed Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. People brushwood it whether they're looking for it oregon not. ChatGPT users opened an app oregon navigated to a website specifically to usage AI. One is simply a passive touchpoint; the different is simply a destination.

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The favoritism matters enormously for investors trying to measure whether Meta is really competing successful user AI oregon conscionable borrowing the category's language.

Kantrowitz's critique goes deeper than a idiosyncratic count. His statement is that a caller class of user computing is being created close now, and Meta is not playing successful it. The marketplace has been waiting for Meta to present a foundational exemplary competitory with OpenAI, and it hasn't happened. Reports of the "Avocado" exemplary rollout being pushed to May oregon aboriginal person lone reinforced that concern. Prediction markets presently delegate lone a 10.5% probability to Meta's "Mango" exemplary releasing by extremity of March.

Kantrowitz's conclusion: if Meta cannot marque this enactment with its ain interior technology, it is clip to look extracurricular for a solution. That's a important connection astir a institution spending $115-135 cardinal successful capex successful 2026 alone.