Meta Platforms Inc. (META) is suddenly the talk of the AI town, and not for the reason you might expect. The company's consumer AI strategy is getting a fresh look as Muse, its personal AI assistant, strengthens Meta's push into the assistant business and invites comparisons with Apple Inc. (AAPL), OpenAI and Anthropic.
Two well-known tech analysts think Meta is building something real here. LightShed Partners co-founder Rich Greenfield and Constellation Research Chairman Ray Wang both see Meta combining Muse with its enormous user base, its software ecosystem and its growing hardware ambitions to carve out a stronger position in consumer AI.
Greenfield Sees Muse As Meta's AI Breakthrough
Greenfield told CNBC on Thursday that Meta now has "a true right to win in AI," because winning in AI will depend on more than just building the best model. His argument: Meta's real strength is creating the software platform that brings AI into products consumers already use every day.
That reframes Meta's massive AI spending. It starts to look less like an open-ended infrastructure bet and more like a consumer growth strategy. Greenfield said Meta now has a tangible AI product in Muse and a built-in distribution network to push it through.
He pointed to Meta's roughly 3 billion users across WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook as a major distribution advantage. In his view, Muse gives investors a clearer reason for Meta's heavy AI spending and could change how the market values that investment over the next year.
He said Meta's massive AI investment is beginning to look more justified, arguing that "all of this spending, the massive amount of capital investment and spending, actually has a reason and a real consumer product."
LightShed also set a $925 one-year price target on Meta.
Greenfield sees Muse itself, rather than Meta's new hardware, as the bigger opportunity. He said the company is betting on an agentic personal assistant that can work across phones, computers, glasses and other devices while learning about users and completing tasks for them.
Wang Sees AI, Hardware And Data Working Together
Wang told CNBC on Thursday that Meta has successfully combined AI, hardware and data, with Muse providing the software layer and products such as smart glasses serving as one of several possible interfaces.
He sees Meta's 3.6 billion-user base as a major competitive moat, giving the company enormous reach if it integrates Muse across its existing platforms.
However, Wang also identified Apple as a formidable rival. He estimated Apple's ecosystem at about 1.4 billion users and said consumers may trust Apple more than Meta when it comes to devices.
Wang also highlighted Apple's different approach to AI, centered on more computing directly on devices rather than relying as heavily on large infrastructure investments. He said Apple's security and device ecosystem remain important strengths even though Siri currently trails newer AI assistants.
Meta Faces OpenAI, Anthropic And Apple
Greenfield said Meta does not need to prove Muse is already the best AI product. Instead, he sees an opportunity for Meta to use its distribution and consumer software expertise to compete with OpenAI, Anthropic and Apple.
He pointed to Anthropic's rapid rise with Claude as evidence that competitive positions in AI can change quickly. Greenfield believes Muse has started moving Meta from an overlooked AI player toward a more credible consumer AI competitor.
Top ETF Exposure
- Invesco AI and Next Gen Software ETF (NYSE:IGPT): 8.43% Weight
- Natixis Loomis Sayles Focused Growth ETF (NYSE:LSGR): 8.12% Weight
- Invesco Nasdaq Internet ETF (NASDAQ:PNQI): 7.89% Weight
Significance: Because META carries such a heavy weight in these funds, any significant inflows or outflows for these ETFs will likely force automatic buying or selling of the stock.
Meta Price Action
META Price Action: Meta Platforms shares were up 0.31% at $780.01 during premarket trading on Friday. The stock is trading at a new 52-week high, according to market data.
