Meta has entered into a licensing agreement with Midjourney, the fast-rising AI startup known for its image and video generation tools, Meta’s Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang announced Friday in a post on Threads.
The partnership will see Meta’s research teams work directly with Midjourney to integrate its technology into future AI products and models.
“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, an ambitious compute roadmap, and working with the best players across the industry.”
The collaboration is expected to strengthen Meta’s efforts to compete with advanced AI image and video generation platforms such as OpenAI’s Sora, Google’s Veo, and Black Forest Lab’s Flux.
Meta already operates its own tools, including Imagine, an image generator embedded in Facebook, Instagram and Messenger, and Movie Gen, a video generation tool.
The licensing agreement is the latest in a series of major AI investments by Meta. Earlier this year, CEO Mark Zuckerberg launched an aggressive recruitment campaign, offering some researchers packages worth up to $100 million.
The company also invested $14 billion in Scale AI and purchased the AI voice startup Play AI.
Meta has reportedly held acquisition talks with several AI developers, including discussions with Midjourney itself. Zuckerberg also explored joining Elon Musk’s $97 billion takeover bid of OpenAI, though Meta ultimately declined, and OpenAI rejected Musk’s approach.
Midjourney CEO David Holz confirmed in a post on X that the startup remains independent, with no outside investors. Founded in 2022, Midjourney quickly established itself as a market leader with its distinctive generative style.
By 2023, it was reportedly on track to generate $200 million in revenue, with subscription plans ranging from $10 to $120 per month. In June 2025, the company launched its first video generation model, V1.
The deal comes at a sensitive time: Midjourney is facing lawsuits from Disney and Universal, which accuse the company of training its models on copyrighted material without permission.
Several other AI developers, including Meta, face similar legal challenges, though recent rulings in US courts have largely favoured tech companies.
The financial terms of the Meta–Midjourney licensing deal remain undisclosed.
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