Meta Platforms Inc. (META) announced Wednesday that it's turning Threads into a serious revenue driver, two years after launching the app as a conversation-focused alternative to X. The platform has quietly grown into a distinct community with more than 400 million monthly active users, and Meta thinks that scale makes it perfect for real-time conversations—and for brands looking to jump into those discussions.
The timing makes sense. Threads has developed its own voices and niches, becoming something more than just "Instagram's text app." Now Meta is ready to monetize that growth by bringing ads to users worldwide starting next week.
Threads Ads Go Global
The global expansion builds on Meta's first ad rollout to advertisers last spring. The company says Threads ads will run on the same AI-powered advertising system that already personalizes what people see across Facebook and Instagram. Translation: if Meta's algorithms know you're interested in sneakers or travel gear, expect to see those kinds of ads in your Threads feed too.
Meta emphasized that the worldwide rollout will happen gradually, suggesting a measured approach rather than flipping a switch overnight.
Better Tools for Advertisers
Since launching ads, Meta has been building out the Threads advertising experience with new formats and protections. Businesses can now manage Threads inside Business Settings alongside Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp—a practical move that simplifies account management.
The company has also broadened ad formats to include 4:5 aspect ratio images, carousel ads, and the ability to run Advantage+ catalog and app ads. Meta says it plans to keep adding features to the platform as it matures.
AI Lab Delivers Early Results
Behind the scenes, Meta is leaning heavily on artificial intelligence to support these platform expansions. Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth revealed that Meta's new Superintelligence Labs team delivered its first high-profile AI models internally this month. He told Reuters the work "showed a lot of promise" and called the models "very good."
But Bosworth was careful to set expectations. The team is still early in its buildout, and AI models require substantial "post-training" work before they're ready for internal teams and consumers to actually use.
Bosworth also said Meta started seeing favorable returns from its significant 2025 investments, describing it as a "tremendously chaotic year" spent building the lab, infrastructure, and securing power. He pointed to 2026 and 2027 as the critical years for bringing consumer AI products to market as trends become clearer.
He highlighted Meta's AI-equipped Ray-Ban Display glasses as an example of that push, noting the company paused international expansion earlier this month to prioritize fulfilling U.S. orders—a sign that demand might be stronger than expected.
Analyst View
Despite Meta stock gaining just 1.20% over the past year, Jefferies analyst Brent Thill remains enthusiastic. He reiterated a Buy rating with a $910 price forecast, calling it his top pick and advising investors to buy the dip.
META Price Action: Meta Platforms shares were up 3.92% at $636.99 at the time of publication on Thursday.
