Meta Stock Soars 4.07% on New App Launch, AI Cost Sharing

On April 23, 2025, Meta's stock rose by 4.07% in pre-market trading, indicating a strong start to the day's trading session. This surge comes amidst several significant developments within the company.

Meta has recently launched Edits, a new video creation application designed to compete with popular tools like CapCut. The app offers a range of features that are initially free to use, although there are plans to introduce paid functionalities in the future. Edits is versatile, allowing creators to produce videos for any platform, including Instagram and Facebook, and offers the ability to export videos without watermarks.

In addition to its new product launch, Meta has been actively seeking to share the costs of training its Llama model with other tech giants. The company has approached Microsoft, Amazon, and other major players, proposing a "Llama Alliance" where costs, including server expenses, would be shared. However, the response from these companies has been lukewarm, as they are already heavily invested in their own AI developments and are reluctant to support a model that will eventually be open-source and freely available.

Furthermore, Meta is facing potential regulatory challenges from the European Union. The EU Commission is set to announce its first penalties under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) against both Apple and Meta. The DMA aims to curb the market power of large tech companies, and violations could result in fines up to 10% of global annual revenue. Meta, in particular, is under scrutiny for its "pay or consent" data tracking model, which the EU has deemed problematic. The delay in announcing these penalties reflects the complex geopolitical dynamics between the EU and the US, with concerns over potential trade retaliation playing a significant role.