WSC Sports’ AI-powered platform automatically analyzes live sports broadcasts to generate real-time video highlights, interviews and other short-form content, then delivers them directly into TikTok’s environment for creator-ready publishing, officials said. The integration enables rights holders—including leagues, teams and broadcasters—to scale content production and distribute clips through both official TikTok accounts and independent creators.

According to WSC Sports, the technology can increase the volume of short-form highlights by up to 10 times and improve creative video efficiency by 12 times without compromising quality.

The system works by ingesting broadcast feeds, auto-tagging key moments, and cutting clips that are pushed into TikTok in real time or near-real time, sources confirmed. This workflow drastically reduces manual editing time, allowing rights holders to deliver timely moments to fans while games are still in progress. WSC Sports has developed a direct technical integration with TikTok, making it possible for clips to be published with TikTok-native features such as filters and effects. This approach mirrors WSC Sports’ existing end-to-end solutions for platforms like Instagram, which include indexing, tagging, cropping and auto-publishing, according to company records.

Rights holders benefit from the platform’s ability to create a diverse library of TikTok-ready clips from live game action, pre- and post-game interviews, player arrivals and other content types. The Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL), for example, uses WSC Sports’ AI-driven system to streamline social media content distribution across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, officials said. TPBL also runs a “partnering with creators” program that grants vetted content creators access to official league footage generated by WSC Sports, enabling them to publish videos on their own TikTok channels. This program aims to maximize audience reach by allowing creators to remix, comment on or provide alternative perspectives on rights-controlled clips.

The partnership also supports personalized fan engagement by enabling rights holders to tailor content feeds by player, team, moment type or language, according to WSC Sports and TikTok sources. This personalization helps ensure fans receive timely and relevant sports highlights in their TikTok For You feeds, enhancing engagement beyond sporadic manual uploads. By connecting official rights feeds to TikTok, rights holders can seed moments that creators reference, extending the reach of content beyond official accounts.

Commercial opportunities for rights holders on TikTok are enhanced by the integration, which allows embedding branded elements, sponsor logos and graphic overlays into automated highlights before publication, company officials said. This capability aligns with TikTok’s broader monetization strategies, such as the platform’s Preferred Platform deal with FIFA for the 2026 World Cup, where official media partners can live-stream matches, post curated clips and monetize coverage through TikTok’s premium advertising solutions. WSC Sports’ ability to scale highlight production supports increased ad inventory and sponsorship integration on TikTok.

TikTok’s content chief has noted that individuals are 42% more likely to watch live matches after viewing sports-related content on the platform, underscoring the value of automated pipelines that connect rights holders’ footage to creator output, according to public statements. The partnership with WSC Sports fits into TikTok’s broader strategy to serve as a central distribution and engagement platform for sports rights holders. Similar deals with the Esports World Cup Foundation and Tencent-linked rights for leagues such as the NBA, NFL and English Premier League illustrate TikTok’s emphasis on real-time, creator-friendly content flows.

WSC Sports’ multi-platform architecture supports simultaneous output to websites, apps and social media channels with over 100 million users and subscribers, a scale demonstrated in its Tencent partnership, officials said. This infrastructure enables TikTok to deliver a steady stream of automated, personalized sports content that can engage millions of fans worldwide. The collaboration between TikTok and WSC Sports represents an evolution in how sports rights holders distribute content, combining AI-driven automation with creator ecosystem programs to expand reach and fan engagement on one of the world’s largest social media platforms.

This system adjusts the share of impressions allocated to different content types, including fresh creator Pins, video, and culturally diverse creator content, according to an engineering overview published by Pinterest and reported by Social Media Today and Search Engine Journal in July 2024. The controllable distribution layer operates after the traditional relevance ranking, allowing Pinterest to boost or demote ranking scores for specific content categories to meet preset impression targets, officials explained.

The update introduces a new ranking model for Pinterest’s home feed that adds a real-time “controllable distribution” layer on top of the existing relevance-based ranking, CEO Bill Ready said.

Pinterest’s engineering documentation states the update aims to balance relevance, freshness, and creator goals by dynamically controlling how much of each content type appears in users’ home feeds. This replaces previous hard-coded constants with a flexible, tunable system that runs continuously in real time, ensuring the feed composition can respond to new content and shifting user behavior. The company said this approach helps display a broader range of content, including more newly created Pins, without degrading the user experience.

The new system explicitly prioritizes “fresh” content, meaning newly created Pins are more likely to appear in the home feed than before, according to Pinterest’s technical description. This shift is designed to prevent the feed from becoming stale by increasing the visibility of recent creator posts. The update builds on Pinterest’s existing “Pinnability” relevance score, which already factored in Pin freshness as part of its training signals. However, the controllable distribution layer makes it possible to boost freshness at scale and in a controllable manner, sources confirmed.

Independent algorithm guides for 2025 corroborate that Pinterest’s current system favors new content, including recently published Pins, updated designs, and new boards or topics. Simple Pin Media reported in mid-July 2024 that Pinterest publicly communicated this algorithm change as a significant modification to how the home feed ranking works, emphasizing controlled distribution of content types rather than a complete overhaul. MarTech’s earlier coverage detailed how the home feed had evolved from a chronological timeline to a machine-learning relevance ranking, making this update an incremental but important step.

The controllable distribution system also supports creator goals by allowing Pinterest to increase exposure for specific creator segments, such as culturally diverse creators or video-forward creators, while still respecting user preference signals. According to the engineering write-up, this means creators who publish fresh, high-quality Pins can receive increased visibility in home feeds under the new model. External analyses note that creators who consistently post new assets are more likely to gain exposure, aligning with Pinterest’s business and creator-ecosystem objectives.

Despite these changes, the home feed continues to rely on the underlying click-through prediction and relevance ranking driven by Pinnability, which includes factors such as historical popularity, spam likelihood, user gender, activity level, and prior interactions with similar Pins. The controllable distribution layer does not replace this ranking but modifies the ordered list to meet targeted content mixes. Fresh creator Pins must still meet baseline relevance and quality thresholds before being boosted, according to Pinterest’s technical overview.

From a user experience perspective, Pinterest officials said the update preserves the relevance of recommendations by continuing to show Pins based on past engagement and followed boards. The controllable distribution system “sprinkles in” more newly created Pins, videos, and other formats when those are prioritized by distribution targets. Users who engage with these boosted content types may see their share increase gradually, reinforcing successful formats and creators. The Home Feed Tuner tool remains available for users to adjust recommendations based on their interests, boards, and followed accounts, filtering the boosted presence of fresh creator Pins through personalized preferences.

The update follows a series of public disclosures and external analyses documenting Pinterest’s evolving home feed algorithm. Search Engine Journal and Social Media Today reported on the rollout of controllable distribution in July 2024, while Simple Pin Media and MarTech provided context on the company’s prior reliance on Pinnability. Technical guidance for 2025 confirms the layered AI system now prioritizes alignment with user intent and recent activity over simple recency or popularity. Together, these sources verify that Pinterest’s home feed algorithm now systematically favors fresh, newly created creator Pins via controllable distribution and freshness signals.

LinkedIn’s new AI job search tools allow users to describe desired roles in natural language rather than relying on traditional keyword searches, according to company officials. These capabilities are initially available to LinkedIn Premium subscribers, with subscriptions starting at $29.99 per month, and are being rolled out “in the coming days,” sources confirmed.

The platform’s AI job-matching feature automatically highlights roles suited to users based on their LinkedIn profiles and indicates when employers are “actively hiring,” with expected application response times also provided.

The AI-powered search and matching tools use custom large language models (LLMs) developed by LinkedIn, similar to those powering ChatGPT, to analyze complex queries and match intent against millions of job descriptions. Rohan Rajiv, a LinkedIn director of product, said the company is “using LLMs throughout the entire stack of our search and recommender system” to enhance query understanding, retrieval, and ranking. Example queries supported by the system include requests such as “find me a role where I can use marketing skills to help the environment” or “show jobs in marketing that pay over $100K,” demonstrating the move beyond static job titles.

LinkedIn’s AI also identifies skills users may need to develop for specific roles by analyzing data on job requirements and career paths, officials said. The conversational search supports detailed constraints such as location, experience level, specialty, skills, and employment type to refine results. The company has piloted some job-matching and hiring assistant capabilities with select employers before the wider rollout.

LinkedIn’s Hiring Assistant, which became generally available in September 2025 as a paid add-on to LinkedIn Recruiter, uses agentic AI to analyze job descriptions, intake notes, and postings, translating them into role qualifications and matching them to candidate profiles. The tool automates outreach by helping recruiters write InMails and conduct pre-screening via initial questions set by recruiters. According to LinkedIn, Hiring Assistant has reduced average recruiter response times from 3.5 hours to eight minutes and improved InMail acceptance rates by 69%. Pilot data cited by the company show 62% fewer profiles viewed per InMail accept, a 48% reduction in time per application, and four hours less recruiter time spent per role.

Early adopters of Hiring Assistant include major companies such as AMD, Canva, Siemens, and Zurich Insurance, reflecting a focus on enterprise recruiters. LinkedIn plans to extend Hiring Assistant’s capabilities in 2026 with features like creating job profiles from conversational prompts, integration with Microsoft Teams and applicant tracking system partners, and expanded language support including French, German, Spanish, and Dutch.

The launch of these AI-driven tools is part of LinkedIn’s broader integration of artificial intelligence under Microsoft’s talent and productivity strategy. LinkedIn has incorporated OpenAI technology since March 2023, using GPT-4 to help users personalize profile sections and GPT-3.5 to generate targeted job descriptions. Microsoft’s investment in OpenAI has enabled rapid AI integrations across LinkedIn’s platform, including profile building, Hiring Assistant, AI InMail drafting, and an AI chatbot that assesses job fit for Premium users, according to company sources.

LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky told Wired that “you don’t find your dream job by checking a set of keywords,” emphasizing that the new AI tools help users discover relevant positions they “never even knew to search for.” LinkedIn spokesperson Suzi Owen said the company has implemented safety measures to address potential bias and exclusion risks in AI matching, including reviewing criteria that could inadvertently filter candidates and monitoring how qualifications are assessed.

The AI tools also aim to reduce friction in the application process by auto-filling repetitive fields and enabling job seekers to apply to more relevant positions in less time. LinkedIn reported that AI-drafted InMail messages introduced in May 2023 led to a 45% increase in recruiter–candidate response rates compared with manually written messages. Analysts noted that AI assistance can increase targeted applications from five to 25 per week, each customized to the role.

Additional AI-based tools such as JobsMatch for job searching and a recruitment agent designed for small and medium-size enterprises have been described in Microsoft-LinkedIn communications, indicating plans to extend AI-powered matching beyond individual users and large enterprises. LinkedIn and Microsoft officials have framed these developments as part of a talent-centric approach where AI is intended to assist rather than replace human jobs.

LinkedIn has scheduled further AI matching feature releases over time, with community discussions and account-manager comments suggesting ongoing expansion of AI-driven job matching capabilities. The company continues to monitor user feedback and safety concerns as it advances its AI integration under Microsoft’s broader workplace and productivity vision.

The new AI-powered tools include “Brand Kit,” which allows marketers to store brand colors, fonts, logos, and voice guidelines directly within LinkedIn’s Campaign Manager platform, officials said. According to LinkedIn, this feature reduces manual oversight by automatically applying brand rules across multiple ad variants, helping maintain consistency at scale.

Brand Kit serves as the foundation for AI-generated promotional content, ensuring that copy and creatives adhere to established brand standards.

Among the suite’s offerings is “Draft with AI,” an ad copy generation tool that creates promotional text suggestions based on the URL of the product or service being advertised. The tool analyzes the landing page, campaign objectives, and optionally past creatives to generate tailored headlines and introductory copy, officials explained. Advertisers can use Draft with AI during campaign setup to auto-populate ad text, which can then be edited before launch, streamlining the creative process.

LinkedIn is also introducing AI-powered ad variants that automatically produce multiple versions of an existing ad by generating new headlines and introductory text variations. The platform’s flexible ad creation capability intelligently mixes and matches images, videos, and copy to create numerous unique creative combinations from a single campaign setup, enhancing dynamic creative optimization, according to company sources. These features aim to improve campaign performance by enabling continual testing of different creative angles without requiring manual duplication or rewriting.

The promotional tools further include enhanced personalization options that leverage LinkedIn’s first-party data to tailor ad copy to individual audience attributes such as job title, company name, or industry. This personalization layer operates within Campaign Manager, matching creative variants to audience segments based on professional data without complex manual targeting, LinkedIn officials said. The system integrates with Brand Kit and Draft with AI to ensure that personalized messages align with brand voice and guidelines.

In addition to the creative suite, LinkedIn is rolling out Accelerate, an AI-powered campaign creation tool that builds end-to-end ad campaigns, including creatives and targeting. First piloted in October 2023 with select North American advertisers, Accelerate reportedly reduces campaign creation time from approximately 15 hours to about five minutes, a more than 99% decrease, according to LinkedIn and industry reports. Early performance data indicate that campaigns built with Accelerate improve cost per action by 42 to 52% and are created around 15% more efficiently than traditional campaigns, sources confirmed.

Accelerate works by analyzing the advertiser’s product URL, company LinkedIn Page, and prior ad accounts to generate creatives, suggest audiences, and incorporate Microsoft Designer for additional promotional content. LinkedIn plans to launch Accelerate globally to all advertisers by early autumn 2026, following a 50% global beta rollout by June, company statements said.

The broader AI promotional toolset inside Campaign Manager was rolled out in mid-2026 as an interconnected suite of features rather than a single product, according to social media and marketing trade coverage. LinkedIn’s corporate communications in October 2023 highlighted these AI products—including Accelerate, Recruiter 2024, and an AI coaching experience—as part of a new generation of AI-powered business features.

Industry analysis notes that LinkedIn’s AI promotional tools are targeted primarily at B2B advertisers, utilizing the platform’s professional graph to increase efficiency and performance in business-oriented campaigns. The expansion of AI capabilities supports LinkedIn’s strategic focus on enhancing video and event marketing, improving ad efficiency, and offering an integrated AI solution for businesses of varying sizes, according to external commentators and company officials.

Good told the commission that He emphasized that Meta does not track antisemitic speech separately from overall hateful conduct, making it impossible to confirm any specific rise in anti-Jewish hatred using the company’s data. Good also said Meta has updated its hate speech policy to remove posts that use “Zionist” as a proxy for Jews or Israelis in a dehumanizing or violent manner, demonstrating continued attention to antisemitism.

Meta’s internal metric for hateful conduct violations has remained steady at 0.02% from 2022 through the period following the January 2025 policy changes, which he said indicates no measurable increase in hate content on the company’s platforms.

Meta’s January 2025 overhaul included a reduction in censorship, ending its third-party fact-checking program in key markets, and broadening the range of speech allowed on Facebook and Instagram. The company scaled back automated detection and removal of hate speech, reserving proactive enforcement mainly for severe categories such as terrorism and child sexual exploitation. Instead, Meta said it would rely more heavily on user reporting to address “lawful but awful” content, including hateful speech that does not meet the threshold of illegality under local law. To replace fact-checking, Meta introduced a “community notes” system modeled on the platform X, allowing users to append context or rebuttals rather than having posts removed. The Meta Oversight Board later criticized the rollout as “hasty” and lacking sufficient regard for human rights impacts, including the risk of increased hate targeting protected groups.

Meta representatives told the inquiry it was “entirely unrealistic” to attribute changes in moderator behavior solely to the policy changes, pushing back against claims that the moderation shift directly unleashed antisemitic content. Good described the company’s approach as a “reactive process” for handling hate speech, stating that Meta will respond to reports of hateful content but will not systematically scan for “lawful but awful” speech. Internal enforcement data presented to the Royal Commission showed a 79% drop in the volume of hateful conduct cases Meta took action on after the policy change. Good argued this reflected enforcement decisions rather than an underlying rise in hate content and maintained that the shift from proactive to reactive enforcement does not equate to tolerating more hate. He said the rollback was intended to reduce “over-enforcement” and protect freedom of expression, not to loosen standards on antisemitic or other hateful speech.

However, independent research and civil rights organizations have reported contrasting findings. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) documented that antisemitic harassment of Jewish U.S. lawmakers on Facebook nearly quintupled after the moderation changes, rising from an average of 6.5 antisemitic comments per day to almost 30. The ADL’s analysis covered more than 337,000 comments on the Facebook pages of 30 Jewish members of Congress between February 4 and April 7, 2025. The organization attributed the surge largely to Meta’s moderation rollback and concluded that the shift to user-driven reporting and reduced proactive enforcement “bears responsibility” for enabling antisemitic and hateful activity. ADL researchers also found that Meta’s trust-and-safety changes have produced a “dramatic increase of antisemitism and extremism” on its platforms, warning that Instagram risks becoming a hub for hate. Civil rights groups and independent analysts reported that Jewish creators face increased antisemitic trolling and harassment, while content countering extremism sometimes faces automated takedowns under the new system.

The backlash from Jewish advocacy organizations and lawmakers was swift following Meta’s January 2025 announcement. A December 16, 2025, letter from U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján, Jacky Rosen and Martin Heinrich to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressed concern that the policy changes were exposing Jewish communities to more antisemitic abuse and demanded detailed data on hate speech enforcement. The ADL issued a formal statement expressing deep concern about Meta’s trust and safety changes and warned that outside a few categories such as terrorism and child sexual exploitation, the company would no longer proactively enforce its policies. The ADL’s recent “report card” found that Meta responded to “exactly zero” cases of antisemitic content when reported by average users in its testing, highlighting a significant gap between policy promises and enforcement outcomes. The Meta Oversight Board criticized the company for hastily implementing the January 2025 changes with insufficient consideration of their impact on vulnerable groups, noting that updated guidelines allowed broad negative statements about protected groups.

The Royal Commission was shown enforcement data indicating a 79% drop in Meta’s actions on hateful conduct cases, which commissioners suggested was plausibly linked to the announced policy shift, despite Meta’s attempt to decouple the two. Critics argue that Meta’s reliance on a single global prevalence metric masks localized spikes in antisemitic content and fails to capture harms experienced by targeted communities. The tension between Meta’s official stance and independent findings centers on a fundamental disagreement over measurement and responsibility: Meta denies causation based on its internal data and framing of “lawful but awful” speech, while researchers, Jewish organizations and oversight bodies cite empirical studies and lived experience to argue that the 2025 changes have materially increased antisemitic content and harassment.

The reservation process is optional and can be completed in a few seconds, WhatsApp said. The reserved usernames will become functional later this year when the feature fully launches, with a gradual rollout planned over the coming months. Users will receive in-app notifications when the username system becomes available in their country.

Users can reserve unique usernames starting June 29 by updating to the latest version of WhatsApp and navigating to Settings > Account > Username, according to an official blog post by the company.

WhatsApp’s new username system is designed to enhance privacy by allowing users to connect without sharing their phone numbers, according to multiple reports including the *Straits Times* and *Economic Times*. The company described the feature as part of a broader effort to reduce reliance on phone numbers for identification, thereby limiting exposure during initial contact. The usernames must be unique, meaning only one user can reserve each handle, and must follow specific formatting rules reported by WABetaInfo. These rules include using only lowercase letters, numbers, periods, and underscores, with usernames required to contain at least one letter and prohibited from starting with “www.” or ending in domains such as “.com” or “.net”.

In addition to the username reservation, WhatsApp is testing a “username key” as an additional security layer. According to Business Standard, this key may prevent messages from being received unless the sender has the matching key, providing an extra level of control over who can initiate contact. The username key is part of the company’s privacy enhancements but has not yet been widely deployed.

The rollout will affect WhatsApp’s entire global user base of approximately 3 billion people, according to reports from the *Straits Times* and other outlets. However, the feature will not be available simultaneously worldwide; instead, Meta-owned WhatsApp plans a phased introduction by country. This approach aligns with the company’s statement that users will be notified within the app when usernames become accessible in their region.

Prior to the official launch, WhatsApp had been testing the username reservation feature in beta versions of the app. WABetaInfo identified functionality related to username reservations in Android beta version 2.25.28.12, and the company’s official blog confirms the feature’s availability starting this week. The blog post did not specify a precise date for the full activation of usernames but indicated it would occur later in 2026.

The username reservation option is accessed through the app’s settings menu and is optional for users who wish to adopt it. WhatsApp emphasized that reserving a username now does not mean it can be used immediately but will secure the handle for future use when the system is fully operational. This reservation-first approach is intended to allow users to claim their preferred usernames ahead of the feature’s broader rollout.

The introduction of usernames marks a significant change for WhatsApp, which has traditionally relied on phone numbers as the primary identifier for users. By enabling connections without sharing phone numbers, the company aims to address privacy concerns that have been raised over the years. This initiative is consistent with WhatsApp’s ongoing efforts to improve user privacy and security, as evidenced by the testing of the username key and the gradual rollout strategy.

The official blog post announcing the username reservation system serves as the primary source for these details, with secondary reporting from regional news outlets confirming the privacy rationale and the phased implementation plan. As the rollout progresses, WhatsApp users worldwide can expect to see the option to reserve usernames appear within the app, followed by the full activation of the feature later this year.

Nick “Nmplol” Polom publicly addressed the situation during a livestream on February 12, 2025, when a viewer asked him to “talk about the divorce.” According to reports from that day, Nmplol said he had already explained the circumstances months earlier and that the details were not new to him. He denied any interpersonal conflict, stating the situation was “not even an issue” and emphasized that there was no “fighting” or “drama” between him and Malena Tudi. He declined to provide further details during the stream, according to coverage by The Times of India and other outlets.

The leaked material also centered on claims regarding a bank account, Malena’s access to it, and disputed asset figures amounting to approximately $1.6 million, according to reports from Sportskeeda and other media.

The controversy intensified after alleged private Discord messages between Nmplol and Malena were leaked online. These messages reportedly included discussions about their financial assets and referred to a third party, Henry Resil, as “a huge leech,” according to multiple sources. Several streamers circulated the screenshots as exhibits related to the ongoing divorce dispute. However, multiple reports noted that the authenticity and full context of the leaked messages have not been independently verified.

Following additional leaks and court-related documents surfacing in April 2025, Nmplol issued another public response. He stated, “For those curious, I have never cheated and never will,” denying allegations of infidelity that were part of Malena’s filings, which reportedly accused him of both infidelity and “economic and financial abuse.” He described the information seen by the public as “unequivocally false” and said he would “leave the legal stuff up to the professionals,” according to reports from Sportskeeda and other outlets. Records indicate that a judge had already ruled that the bank-account arrangement in question did not constitute financial abuse, according to Nmplol’s side of the dispute.

The couple first publicly announced their split on September 14, 2024, citing “different goals” as the reason for ending their relationship. Earlier reporting revealed that the pair had been married privately since September 25, 2015, a fact not widely known until after the breakup announcement. Nmplol publicly confirmed the marriage during his February 2025 livestream, describing the secrecy surrounding it as “pretty impressive,” according to The Times of India. He has maintained that the separation was mutual and free of conflict.

The leaked messages and court documents sparked reactions from other streamers and the broader online community. Popular streamer xQc publicly reacted to the alleged messages on his stream, which helped amplify the controversy. Meanwhile, MisterArther defended Nmplol against cheating allegations, and Asmongold stated he had “never heard anything” about Nmplol cheating on Malena, according to coverage by Sportskeeda. The story has expanded beyond the streaming community, with outlets such as The Times of India and Sportskeeda providing mainstream entertainment coverage. Multiple YouTube videos have also circulated, featuring reactions and readings of the alleged messages.

As of the latest reports, Malena Tudi has not publicly issued a detailed statement responding to the specific claims made in the leaked messages. The dispute remains ongoing, with Nmplol posting a concluding update on the legal battle on June 4, 2026, according to later reporting. The authenticity, context, and legal significance of the leaked Discord messages continue to be disputed, with media outlets treating them as alleged or reportedly leaked material. The broader allegations of financial abuse, infidelity, and asset disputes remain contested and have not been conclusively resolved in public records or court rulings.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg instructed company executives on June 26, 2026, to explore partnerships with prediction market platforms Polymarket and Kalshi while developing a similar app called Arena, sources confirmed. According to The New York Times and Reuters, the move aims to position Meta within the growing prediction market sector by combining external collaborations with an internally tested app.

The app is currently in internal testing and may never be launched, sources told Reuters on June 26, 2026. Arena is modeled on existing platforms Polymarket and Kalshi, two of the leading prediction market companies, but differs by initially avoiding cash wagers.

Meta is developing a prediction market-style app called Arena that would allow users to bet on sports, culture, entertainment, politics, and finance using video-game-like points rather than real money, according to The New York Times and Reuters.

Mark Zuckerberg instructed Meta executives to explore partnerships with Polymarket and Kalshi while Arena is being developed, multiple media outlets reported. The New York Times, citing three employees familiar with the discussions, said Zuckerberg dispatched a small internal team to build Arena and directed executives to engage in talks with the two external platforms. Reuters confirmed Zuckerberg “urged his lieutenants to explore partnerships” with Polymarket and Kalshi on June 26, 2026. Cryptopolitan and TheStreet also reported that Meta was pursuing deals with the prediction market companies, though the exact nature of any collaboration remains undefined, according to sources.

Arena’s design centers on a points-based system, which differentiates it from Polymarket and Kalshi’s real-money betting models. TechCrunch, citing the New York Times, described Arena as “experimental but a top priority” for Meta, emphasizing that it would initially function as a game where users earn points for correct predictions. TheStreet and The Week noted that Meta has not ruled out adding real-money betting in the future, suggesting the points system could be a transitional approach to navigate regulatory challenges. People familiar with Meta’s thinking told Reuters that using points would help Arena avoid immediate oversight from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates cash-settled event contracts.

Meta is targeting users between the ages of 18 and 34 for Arena, aiming to capture a younger demographic active on social media and interested in gaming and markets, sources told the New York Times. Internal targets reportedly include reaching at least 100 million monthly active “predictors” on the platform. Meta plans to launch Arena as a standalone app, separate from its existing social media services such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, to test product fit and demand before potential integration.

If Arena proves successful, Meta intends to integrate its features into its core social platforms, including embedding prediction options into group chats, Reels, Stories, and News Feeds, according to reporting by Mother Jones and The Week. The company also plans to leverage its artificial intelligence model, Llama, to automatically generate prediction questions based on trending topics, adding an AI-driven layer to the app’s content. Industry sources said Meta’s social sites could direct users to Arena for specific topics, making prediction activities part of the overall engagement funnel.

No formal partnerships, equity investments, or integrations with Polymarket or Kalshi have been announced or confirmed by Meta. The New York Times emphasized that the nature and outcome of any potential collaborations remain uncertain, with discussions described as exploratory. Meta has not issued any public statement about partnerships or investments in either company. As of late June 2026, Arena remains in an experimental phase with no confirmed live integration with external prediction platforms.

The prediction market sector has grown rapidly, with one report estimating nearly $30 billion in bets processed in May 2026. Polymarket and Kalshi are considered dominant players in this space, setting benchmarks that Meta aims to match or exceed with Arena. The sector is subject to regulatory scrutiny and legal challenges, particularly regarding online gambling and financial oversight. By initially using a points-based system, Meta appears to be positioning Arena to operate outside immediate regulatory jurisdiction, though legal interpretations could evolve.

Meta’s move into prediction markets reflects broader industry trends toward integrating gaming, social media, and financial activities. The company’s approach combines internal development with outreach to established platforms, seeking to establish a foothold in a fast-growing but complex market. The outcome of these efforts, including any partnerships or product launches, remains to be seen as Meta continues to test and refine its strategy.

WhatsApp began rolling out a new feature in early 2026 allowing users worldwide to reserve unique usernames, or handles, to use instead of sharing phone numbers, according to company sources. The phased rollout started with limited beta testing on Android and iOS, with a full public launch planned for June 2026 to enhance user privacy and simplify contact sharing.

WhatsApp users can now reserve unique usernames, or handles, that will replace phone numbers as the primary identifier when connecting with new contacts, according to multiple reports and WhatsApp-aligned sources. The feature began limited beta testing on Android and iOS devices in early 2026, with a full public launch planned for June 2026, industry trackers and media outlets confirmed. This phased rollout is occurring region by region, with in-app notifications alerting users when username reservation becomes available in their country, according to Engadget and The Times of India.

Usernames must be between 3 and 35 characters, containing only lowercase letters, numbers, periods, and underscores, and must include at least one letter, according to technical details reported by Vucense and Invent.

Users can claim a username in advance by navigating to Settings, then Account, and selecting the new Username option, sources said. The reservation process allows users to manually enter a preferred handle or use an in-app generator to suggest available names that comply with WhatsApp’s formatting rules. WhatsApp checks availability in real time, displaying a green checkmark for valid handles. If a desired username is taken, users may receive suggestions based on their existing Instagram or Facebook names, reflecting integration within the Meta ecosystem, The Times of India noted.

Once activated, WhatsApp usernames will appear as the visible contact identifier instead of phone numbers when new users or businesses initiate messages, multiple sources confirmed. This change addresses a longstanding privacy concern, allowing users to connect without revealing their phone numbers to new contacts. However, WhatsApp still requires a phone number to register an account, and it remains the backend identifier, according to privacy guides and reports from Engadget and Vucense. An optional four-digit “username key” can be set during the reservation phase to add an additional layer of security, requiring contacts to know both the handle and key to reach the user’s main inbox. This key is expected to be upgraded to an alphanumeric code when usernames fully launch later in 2026, according to Engadget.

The introduction of usernames is expected to have significant implications for businesses using WhatsApp. Starting as early as June 2026, companies using the WhatsApp Business API will be able to create and claim usernames for customer interactions, according to Invent and Replypop. This will allow businesses to share branded handles instead of phone numbers, simplifying customer communication and enhancing brand visibility. Usernames will also appear in group chats and direct messages, replacing phone numbers and facilitating easier discovery and contact. Industry observers note this shift moves WhatsApp closer to a Telegram-style identity model, where usernames serve as public identifiers searchable within the app.

The development of the username feature has been publicly tracked since 2023, with WABetaInfo regularly reporting on beta builds revealing the functionality. The outlet confirmed that the feature is currently rolling out to a limited number of users on both Android and iOS platforms. Social Media Today reported that WhatsApp is set to give users the option to create usernames as part of a system update scheduled for June 2026. While WhatsApp has not officially announced a precise global launch date, multiple sources point to the second half of 2026 for full deployment.

The phased rollout began in early 2026 with limited beta testing between January and April, expanding gradually to more users and markets. WhatsApp sends in-app notifications when the username reservation option becomes available in each region, enabling users to secure their preferred handles ahead of the public launch. According to The Times of India and Khaleej Times, the username feature represents one of WhatsApp’s most significant privacy upgrades to date and is currently accessible to select users in various countries.

This update is part of WhatsApp’s broader efforts to enhance user privacy and streamline contact sharing on its platform. While usernames will replace phone numbers as visible identifiers in many contexts, the underlying account verification and security continue to rely on phone numbers. The rollout will continue through 2026, with expanded availability for individual users and businesses expected over the coming months.

WhatsApp users worldwide began reserving usernames starting the week of June 29, 2026, the company confirmed, marking the first phase of its new identity system rollout. According to WhatsApp officials, the feature is designed to protect users’ phone number privacy by allowing them to connect using usernames instead of sharing their mobile numbers.

WhatsApp’s new username reservation feature allows users to secure unique handles that will enable them to connect without sharing their phone numbers, according to company officials. The feature, which began rolling out globally the week of June 29, 2026, is the first phase of WhatsApp’s broader plan to shift away from phone-number-based identity on the platform. WhatsApp described the move as “a key step towards a major shift in how people connect,” emphasizing that usernames are an optional privacy feature rather than a mandatory replacement for phone numbers.

The username reservation process is designed to protect users’ phone number privacy by allowing them to share a handle instead of their mobile number, WhatsApp said.

Once a username is reserved, it is locked to that account and cannot be claimed by others, even if they later gain access to the feature, according to beta testing reports. The reservation phase lets users secure their preferred handle before full messaging via username is enabled, with availability checked in real time.

The rollout is gradual and will expand over the coming months, with in-app notifications alerting users in each country when the feature becomes available, WhatsApp officials said. Initial access is limited to select beta testers, with broader user access planned as the company monitors performance and stability. Business Standard reported that username reservations began on Monday, June 29, with the feature slated to roll out later this year inside the app.

In current Android beta versions, such as 2.25.28.12, the username reservation option appears in the user’s profile section below the phone number field, according to WABetaInfo and TechRadar. The username controls are located under a “Username” header alongside other profile information like About or bio. Users must follow strict formatting rules: usernames must contain at least one letter, cannot be composed solely of numbers or symbols, and cannot begin with “www.” Only lowercase letters (a–z), digits (0–9), periods (.) and underscores (_) are permitted. These constraints aim to standardize usernames and reduce spoofing or misleading handles, officials said.

WhatsApp is also testing integration with Meta’s Accounts Center, allowing users to reserve usernames that match their existing Facebook or Instagram handles. Users can enter their Facebook or Instagram handle inside WhatsApp, which verifies ownership through the Meta Accounts Center and reserves the corresponding username on WhatsApp. Early reports indicate that initial reservation access prioritizes handles already in use on Meta’s other platforms to maintain consistency across services. After verification, the reserved username becomes exclusive to that WhatsApp account, preventing duplicate claims, according to sources familiar with the testing.

The username system is part of WhatsApp’s broader privacy-focused communication strategy as it prepares for a full username launch planned for later in 2026. An official update shared with business partners stated that usernames will allow users and businesses to connect and make calls without revealing phone numbers. Industry observers such as the Mobile Ecosystem Forum have noted that the 2026 rollout window will introduce enhanced privacy and business branding through @name identifiers on WhatsApp.

The reservation feature is designed to ensure fairness and manage demand, preventing early users from grabbing popular usernames before global access opens, according to WABetaInfo and Hindustan Times. This staged rollout helps maintain stability and monitor performance as millions of users attempt to secure handles. For businesses, WhatsApp is testing “business scoped IDs” to enable privacy-focused communication and consistent branding across the platform, according to company communications.

WhatsApp has relied on phone numbers for registration and contact discovery for over a decade, and the introduction of usernames represents a modernization of this model. Industry analysis suggests that separating public-facing identities from private phone numbers will benefit individual users and brands alike by enhancing privacy and reducing friction in sharing contact details. The username reservation phase prepares the platform for a broader shift in identity management, with implications for user safety, spam control, and brand presence once the full system launches.

The company plans to continue refining the username system through beta testing, with Android beta version 2.25.34.3 showing support for reserving usernames that match Instagram and Facebook handles. WhatsApp will expand access gradually as it evaluates user feedback and platform stability. The integration of usernames across WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram via Meta’s Accounts Center is part of Meta’s strategy to unify identity management across its services.