Facebook launched its short-video app Instagram Reels in the US and more than 50 other countries on Wednesday, aiming to challenge rival TikTok.
Facebook's move comes on the heels of Microsoft's planned acquisition of TikTok. Under pressure from the White House, TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, is considering divesting part of TikTok's business.
Facebook's massive launch of Instagram Reels will further intensify the competition with TikTok In in its desire to appeal to U.S. teens.
Last November, Instagram launched Reels in Brazil, followed by France and Germany in June, and then India. Now Facebook is expanding to the United States and more than 50 other countries.
Instagram Reels is highly similar to TikTok, allowing users to create and share 15-second video clips, among other things. Those similarities led TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer to refer to Reels as a copycat product.
"To those who wish to launch competitive products, we say bring it on," Mayer said. "Facebook is even launching another copycat product, Reels (tied to Instagram), after their other copycat Lasso failed quickly."
Let's focus our energies on fair and open competition in service of our consumers, rather than maligning attacks by our competitor — namely Facebook — disguised as patriotism and designed to put an end to our very presence in the US, he said.
During a video conference call with reporters Tuesday, Vishal Shah, Instagram's vice president of product, acknowledged the similarities and said "the inspiration for the product comes from everywhere," including Facebook's team and the broader ecosystem.
Instagram has no plans to offer users ads or other ways to make money through Reels, though it has recruited some young web stars like dancer Merrick Hanna and musician Tiagz. But Shah said the company pays its creators for production costs.
Joe Gagliese, CEO of marketing agency Virus Nation, thinks Facebook's expansion of Instagram Reel is a huge threat to TikTok. Also, Facebook's decision at this time is in large part due to the fact that TikTok is in "turmoil" at the moment.
It was already reported yesterday that some of TikTok's top creators on the platform are already moving to other platforms such as Instagram, Triller, and Byte due to the uncertainty surrounding the platform's future.
