Meta Acquires Voice AI Startup PlayAI, Bolstering Its AI Strategy

Meta acquires voice startup Play AI | TechCrunch

Meta has acquired Play AI, a startup that uses AI to generate human-sounding voices. A Meta spokesperson has confirmed the acquisition, according to Bloomberg, which also reports that an internal memo stated that the "entire PlayAI team" will be joining the company next week. (TechCrunch has also reached out to Meta for confirmation.) Meta's memo reportedly said that PlayAI's "work in creating natural voices, along with a platform for easy voice creation, is a great match for our work and road map, across AI Characters, Meta AI, Wearables and audio content creation." The company has been making big investments in AI, including aggressive recruiting from OpenAI and a deal with Scale AI that saw the company's CEO Alexandr Wang joining Meta to lead a new group focused on superintelligence. The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Bloomberg had previously reported that the two companies were in acquisition talks.

Meta to Acquire Voice AI Startup PlayAI | AIM

Meta has finalised an agreement to purchase PlayAI, a small startup specialising in voice AI. According to an internal memo seen by Bloomberg, the "entire PlayAI team" is expected to join Meta next week. The PlayAI group will report to Johan Schalkwyk, who has recently joined Meta from Sesame AI, a voice AI startup. Previously, Bloomberg News reported that discussions regarding an acquisition were taking place between the companies. Meta has prioritised AI as its main focus this year, heavily investing in essential infrastructure, such as chips and data centres, as well as hiring leading experts to develop AI models and features. The CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, recently shared significant changes to the organisation of the company's AI division, appointing former Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang to lead the newly formed Meta Superintelligence Labs. Along with this, Meta is also on an aggressive recruitment drive from OpenAI. They have hired approximately 10 leading researchers and developers, with some compensation packages reaching up to $300 million over four years, including equity. Recently, Meta finalised a similar agreement by acquiring a 49% ownership in Scale AI. As part of this arrangement, Scale AI's CEO, Alexandr Wang, has joined Meta to lead a new team focused on superintelligence, AIM reported. The financial details of the acquisition were not revealed. A spokesperson from Meta confirmed the acquisition but chose not to provide any additional comments, Bloomberg reported. According to the memo, the PlayAI team's expertise in developing natural voices and an accessible voice creation platform aligns well with our initiatives and plans in AI Characters, Meta AI, Wearables, and audio content development. Earlier this year, Reuters disclosed that the company intends to invest as much as $65 billion in projects related to AI. The Economic Times reported that Meta has ramped up its investment and hiring in AI, including an aggressive recruitment drive from OpenAI. They have hired approximately 10 leading researchers and developers, with some compensation packages reaching up to $300 million over four years, including equity.

Meta buys AI voice startup Play AI

Meta has acquired Play AI, a startup specializing in the generation of human-sounding artificial intelligence voices, as confirmed by a Meta spokesperson to Bloomberg. An internal memo indicated the entire Play AI team will integrate into Meta next week. The memo reportedly highlighted Play AI's capabilities, stating its "work in creating natural voices, along with a platform for easy voice creation, is a great match for our work and road map." This integration is expected to bolster Meta's initiatives across "AI Characters, Meta AI, Wearables and audio content creation." This acquisition aligns with Meta's strategy of significant investment in artificial intelligence. Recent actions include aggressive recruitment of personnel from OpenAI and a collaboration with Scale AI. As part of the Scale AI agreement, CEO Alexandr Wang joined Meta to lead a new group dedicated to superintelligence research. Financial terms of the Play AI acquisition were not disclosed. Bloomberg had previously reported on ongoing acquisition discussions between the two entities.

Meta Acquires AI Startup That Generates Human-Sounding Voices: 'Great Match for Our Work'

In the latest chapter in Meta's AI buying and hiring spree, Meta has acquired AI voice cloning startup PlayAI. Meta confirmed the acquisition to Bloomberg, but didn't state the deal's value. According to an internal memo leaked to Bloomberg, the "entire PlayAI team," around 35 people, will join Meta this week. They will report to Johan Schalkwyk, a former speech AI researcher at Google who recently joined Meta from another AI voice startup called Sesame AI. PlayAI's core product is a voice cloning tool that can generate human-sounding voices. The startup has partnered with companies like Walgreens and Salesforce to create voice agents for businesses that are available to answer questions, handle transactions, and schedule appointments. Related: 'The Market Is Hot': Here's How Much a Typical Meta Employee Makes in a Year PlayAI's "work in creating natural voices, along with a platform for easy voice creation, is a great match for our work and road map, across AI Characters, Meta AI, Wearables, and audio content creation," Meta wrote in the leaked memo. Meta has been hiring and acquiring AI talent aggressively in recent months. In June, the company made one of its biggest investments yet, pouring $14.3 billion into AI data training startup Scale AI in exchange for a 49% stake in the startup and access to new talent. The deal brought Scale AI's former CEO, Alexandr Wang, to Meta as its new Chief AI Officer and head of a new team focused on developing superintelligence, or AI that surpasses human intelligence. Meta is paying top dollar to assemble a group of about 50 experts who will work to develop superintelligence with the aim of one day bringing it to Meta's products, including its AI smart glasses and chatbot. Scale AI's valuation more than doubled after the investment, rising from $14 billion to $29 billion. Meta has also been poaching AI researchers and engineers from OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic for its new superintelligence team with competitive compensation, which can go up to nine figures. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, 41, announced last month that former Google DeepMind researchers Jack Rae and Pei Sun and former OpenAI staff Trapit Bansal and Hongyu Ren would be joining the superintelligence team. Additionally, new details emerged last week that Meta is reportedly compensating former Apple engineer Ruoming Pang more than $200 million across several years to join its superintelligence effort -- more than double the $74.6 million Apple CEO Tim Cook made last year.

Meta continues acquisition spree, grabs voice AI startup PlayAI - The Economic Times

Meta has acquired voice AI startup Play AI, further deepening its push into artificial intelligence. The move comes amid a wave of strategic hires and investments, including a recent deal with Scale AI. Bloomberg reported that the entire team of PlayAI will be joining the Mark Zuckerberg-led firm the coming week.Meta has acquired Play AI, an artificial intelligence startup that specialises in creating human-like voices. According to an internal memo seen by Bloomberg, the entire Play AI team will be joining Meta next week. They will report to Johan Schalkwyk, who recently moved to Meta from another voice AI startup, Sesame AI Inc. Meta's memo stated that Play AI's "work in creating natural voices, along with a platform for easy voice creation, is a great match for our work and road map, across AI Characters, Meta AI, Wearables and audio content creation". However, the financial details of the acquisition were not made public. Recently, Meta struck a similar deal, acquiring a 49% stake in Scale AI. As part of that deal, Scale AI's CEO, Alexandr Wang, joined Meta to head a new superintelligence team. Also Read: Money isn't everything: Meta's Superintelligence Labs roundly rejected by some despite tempting pay offers Meta has been on an investment and hiring spree in AI for a few weeks now, including aggressively recruiting from OpenAI. According to a report by The Verge, Meta has hired as many as 10 leading researchers and developers from OpenAI, with some compensation packages reportedly reaching up to $300 million over four years, including equity. However, Meta has disputed this figure. OpenAI is not Meta's only source for new talent. The company has also made several high-profile hires, including Daniel Gross, CEO of AI startup Safe Superintelligence; Ruoming Pang, who leads Apple's Foundation Models team; and Nat Friedman, the former CEO of GitHub.

Mark Zuckerberg's Meta Expands AI Talent With PlayAI Acquisition: Report - Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Meta Platforms Inc. META has reportedly acquired PlayAI, an artificial intelligence startup focused on natural-sounding voice technology. What Happened: While financial terms were not disclosed, the entire PlayAI team will join Meta this week and report to Johan Schalkwyk, another new joinee from voice AI firm Sesame AI, reported Bloomberg, citing an internal memo. The PlayAI team's "work in creating natural voices, along with a platform for easy voice creation, is a great match for our work and road map, across AI Characters, Meta AI, Wearables and audio content creation," the memo read. See Also: Jensen Huang Gave $12.6 Million To Charity, Then Nvidia's Stock Made It Billions A Meta spokesperson confirmed the deal to the publication but did not elaborate on the details. The tech giant did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comments. Why It's Important: The acquisition is part of Meta's broader AI strategy, which CEO Mark Zuckerberg has called the company's top priority in 2025. In the past few months, Facebook-parent has restructured its AI operations under the newly launched Meta Superintelligence Labs, led by former Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang. Subscribe to the Benzinga Tech Trends newsletter to get all the latest tech developments delivered to your inbox. Zuckerberg's company has poached leading experts from ChatGPT-parent OpenAI, Anthropic, Alphabet Inc.'s GOOG GOOGL Google DeepMind and Apple Inc. AAPL. Trending Investment OpportunitiesAdvertisementArrivedBuy shares of homes and vacation rentals for as little as $100. Get StartedWiserAdvisorGet matched with a trusted, local financial advisor for free.Get StartedPoint.comTap into your home's equity to consolidate debt or fund a renovation.Get StartedRobinhoodMove your 401k to Robinhood and get a 3% match on deposits.Get Started Just last week, it was reported that Meta has recruited Ruoming Pang, the AI model lead at Apple. Meta currently has a market capitalization of $1.8 trillion. Price Action: Meta shares have risen 19.74% year-to-date and are up 44.61% over the past 12 months, according to Benzinga Pro data. Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings indicate that META continues to show a steady upward trend in the short, medium, and long term. While its growth score remains strong, its value rating is relatively lower. Additional performance details are available here. Photo: Skorzewiak/Shutterstock Check out more of Benzinga's Consumer Tech coverage by following this link. Read Next: Amazon Loses Top AI Leader In High-Stakes Talent Shuffle AAPLApple Inc$210.52-0.89%Stock Score Locked: Want to See it? Benzinga Rankings give you vital metrics on any stock - anytime. Reveal Full ScoreEdge RankingsMomentum24.23Growth32.27Quality75.20Value9.25Price TrendShortMediumLongOverviewGOOGAlphabet Inc$181.081.33%GOOGLAlphabet Inc$180.071.38%METAMeta Platforms Inc$716.50-1.48%Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Meta Buying Voice AI Startup PlayAI | PYMNTS.com

By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions. The "entire PlayAI team" is due to join Meta this week, Bloomberg News reported late Friday (July 11), citing an internal memo. The company confirmed the acquisition but declined to comment further, the report added. These new employees will report to Johan Schalkwyk, who joined Meta recently from another voice AI startup, Sesame AI, Bloomberg reported. The news follows an earlier report from the news outlet that the companies were in talks about an acquisition. PlayAI's "work in creating natural voices, along with a platform for easy voice creation, is a great match for our work and road map, across AI Characters, Meta AI, Wearables and audio content creation," the memo read. As Bloomberg noted, Meta has made AI its chief priority, spending significantly on infrastructure such as data centers, while also recruiting talent such as Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang, who is running the company's new AI group, Meta Superintelligence Labs. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been looking to bolster the company's AI efforts after reportedly being frustrated by the pace of development on Llama, the tech giant's flagship open-source large language model. In addition to recruiting Wang, the CEO has been personally campaigning to hire new AI talent. The past few weeks have brought reports that Meta had hired AI experts from rival tech companies such as OpenAI and Apple. The company's acquisition of PlayAI is happening at a time when voice-based AI agents are advancing to the point that they are now outperforming call centers and beginning to replace human labor in industries from healthcare to retail, PYMNTS wrote last month, citing a report from venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. "Voice is one of the most powerful unlocks for AI application companies," Olivia Moore, a partner at the firm, wrote in a 2025 AI Voice Agent Update blog post. "It is the most frequent and information-dense form of communication, made programmable for the first time due to AI." By making voice programmable, AI can interpret and act on voiced queries with more accuracy and reliability. Voice is naturally unstructured and messy, as people can interrupt each other, switch topics, or use slang. Moore said voice AI allows businesses to respond to customers around the clock instead of having to wait until their office is staffed. For consumers, "We believe voice will be the first -- and perhaps primary -- way people interact with AI." Research by PYMNTS Intelligence has shown that 17.9% of consumers on average use voice technology to shop, with 30.4% of Gen Z consumers shopping by voice each week.