The article discusses the latest development in the world of social media and news aggregation with the launch of Artifact, a new app founded by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, the co-founders of Instagram. The app is designed to provide users with high-quality, fact-checked news from reputable sources, while also incorporating social features to enable users to share and discuss articles.
Here are some key points from the article:
- Founding: Artifact was founded by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, who previously co-founded Instagram.
- Unique Features: The app uses machine learning algorithms to curate news from hand-selected publishers based on user interactions such as clicks, dwell time, read time, and sharing articles with friends.
- Personalization: Artifact learns what particular news is of interest to users by weighing these signals, providing a personalized feed that caters to their interests.
- Social Features: The app allows users to share and discuss topics on social feeds, which will emerge over time.
- Differentiation: Systrom believes that Artifact’s differentiating features won’t just be the machine learning tech but also the social features built by founders who built one of the most popular social apps to date, as well as personalization tools designed to improve the experience with more explicit feedback.
- Current State: The company is currently self-funded by the founders to the tune of single-digit millions and has five Instagram vets on staff, including Robby Stein as its head of product.
The article concludes that Artifact aims to diverge from the norm and provide something new in the news aggregation space, which will be a test of its thesis over the next year.