Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has acknowledged that the company underestimated TikTok’s meteoric rise, misjudging it as a mere video platform rather than a social media phenomenon.
Speaking at an internal all-hands meeting, a recording obtained by Business Insider, Zuckerberg admitted that Meta’s slow response to TikTok stemmed from a flawed assumption that the app was more like YouTube than a true social network.
“When I look back on TikTok, I think part of the reason why we were slow to it is because we didn’t think TikTok was social,” Zuckerberg said. “We looked at it and we thought, ‘Oh, this is like, a little more like YouTube.'”
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His remarks offer a rare glimpse into how the tech giant miscalculated one of the biggest shifts in social media history, allowing TikTok to surge ahead as Meta scrambled to catch up.
Zuckerberg explained that Meta’s traditional view of social interaction—centered around friends sharing content and commenting on posts—caused the company to initially misunderstand TikTok’s power. While Meta focused on feeds and direct engagement, TikTok thrived on algorithmic content discovery, with users engaging not just through public comments but also by sharing videos in private messages.
“Because we were too dismissive up front, it wasn’t just about people commenting in the feed,” Zuckerberg said. “It was about people seeing stuff in their feed and then sharing it into message threads.”
He pointed out that the majority of social interaction on Meta’s platforms—WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram Direct—now happens through private messaging rather than public posts. TikTok’s ability to generate viral content that users instinctively shared in private channels gave it a competitive edge that Meta failed to recognize early on.
Meta’s Strategy to Regain Users from TikTok
Having lost the initial battle, Meta is now aggressively trying to claw back its influence, not only by improving Reels on Instagram and Facebook but also by betting heavily on its new social media platform, Threads.
In an effort to wrestle creators and users away from TikTok, Meta has reportedly offered some influencers as much as $30,000 to join Threads and create content. The company hopes that by incentivizing top creators to post on Threads, it can build momentum for the platform and offer an alternative to both TikTok and Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter).
This move is reminiscent of past strategies by social media giants, where companies poured millions into content creator programs to boost user engagement. Meta is hoping that if it can get big influencers to consistently post and bring their audiences along, Threads could grow into a legitimate competitor in the social media space.
The Uncertain Future of TikTok, Meta’s Possible Advantage
Beyond offering financial incentives to influencers, Meta is also keeping a close eye on TikTok’s uncertain future in the U.S. The short-form video platform is facing increasing scrutiny from regulators over its ties to China.
President Trump signed an executive order giving ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, 75 days to either divest from TikTok or face a ban in the U.S. The Biden administration has also expressed concerns over TikTok’s data privacy practices, adding to the regulatory uncertainty.
“We don’t have control of what’s going to happen to TikTok,” Zuckerberg said. “We have a lot of competitors, but they’re an important one. So, who’s gonna own TikTok at the end of the year? What’s gonna happen? I mean, that’s a pretty big deal, something that’s a card that we get to turn over.”
If TikTok is forced to sell its U.S. operations or is banned outright, Meta could benefit significantly, as many of TikTok’s displaced users and creators might turn to Instagram Reels and Threads as alternatives.
Avoiding the Same Mistakes with AI
Zuckerberg used the discussion about TikTok to issue a broader warning to employees: Meta must ensure it does not take “too narrow of a view” when it comes to emerging trends, particularly artificial intelligence.
He outlined a vision for AI-powered features across Facebook and Instagram, predicting that interactive AI agents and more immersive AI-generated content experiences will soon become central to the platform.
“I think the next trend here is there’re going to be things that either AI can produce, that we can just put in there… I think this year we’re gonna have stuff where it’s like, okay, you have an AI agent, and you can just start talking to it,” he said.
Zuckerberg dismissed concerns that Meta’s aggressive push into AI could divert attention from its core social media business, arguing that as a large company, it must be able to juggle multiple priorities.
“If we can’t build Facebook and [the] next platform at the same time, then, like, eventually game over,” he stated, making it clear that Meta cannot afford another miscalculation like the one it made with TikTok.1
Meta’s AI investments are already transforming its platforms, with AI-driven recommendations playing a growing role in user feeds. The company is also experimenting with AI chatbots and digital assistants designed to enhance user engagement.
But as Zuckerberg’s comments suggest, the challenge for Meta is not just about developing AI technology, it’s about ensuring that it fully understands and capitalizes on the next big shift in social media before it is too late.