Meta is doubling down on AI creativity. On Friday, Meta’s Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang announced via Threads that the company has struck a licensing deal with Midjourney, the independent AI startup best known for its distinctive image generation models.
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The partnership will give Meta access to Midjourney’s image and video generation technology, with both teams set to collaborate on future AI products.
“To ensure Meta is able to deliver the best possible products for people it will require taking an all-of-the-above approach,” Wang wrote. “This means world-class talent, ambitious compute roadmap, and working with the best players across the industry.”
The deal signals Meta’s intent to compete more directly with leaders in the AI-generated visuals race, including OpenAI’s Sora, Google’s Veo, and Black Forest Lab’s Flux. While Meta already has its own tools, Imagine for AI images across Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger, and Movie Gen for text-to-video, partnering with Midjourney could supercharge the realism and creative quality of its outputs.
Meta has been on a major AI push in 2025. The company invested $14 billion in Scale AI and acquired AI voice startup Play AI. meta then went on a talent hiring spree, offering packages up to $100 million for top researchers.
So, why Midjourney?
Founded in 2022, Midjourney has quickly grown into one of the most influential players in generative AI. Its subscription-based model reportedly brought in $200 million in revenue by 2023, with plans starting at $10 per month. In June 2025, it launched its first AI video model (V1), signaling ambitions beyond still images.
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Despite frequent acquisition rumors (including earlier talks with Meta itself), CEO David Holz confirmed on X that Midjourney remains independent and investor-free.
The exact terms of the Meta–Midjourney agreement haven’t been disclosed, but the partnership points to a future where generative AI is deeply embedded in Meta’s platforms, not just as novelty tools, but as core creative engines for billions of users.