Instagram co-founders’ news app Artifact bids farewell to users

In a rapidly evolving technological world, meeting user demands is no easy feat, as many startups can attest. Today, a once-promising app launched almost a year ago bids farewell to users.

Engadget shares that Artifact, the news app from Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, has decided to shut down, not even a year after its debut. According to a note On Systrom's Medium, the app's core news reading features will remain available until the end of February, but comments and posts will be taken offline immediately.

Artifact is a news aggregator app launched in 2023. The goal of the app is to provide users with a personalized and engaging news experience. Artifact uses artificial intelligence to analyze user behavior and interests, then recommends items tailored to each individual's preferences.

The app also offers social discussion forums, where users can share their thoughts on current affairs and connect with others who share their interests. Artifact has been praised for its innovative approach to information consumption. However, the app has also been criticized for its lack of transparency about its algorithms and reliance on user data.

Despite a year of dedicated effort, Systrom and Krieger ran into challenges familiar to the founders of other notable information applications. Systrom admitted: “We've built something that a core group of users love, but we've concluded that the market opportunity isn't big enough to justify continued investment in this way.“.

On another note, video sharing apps like TikTok and YouTube are booming, reaching unprecedented levels of user engagement and revenue. For a detailed look at the apps that dominated the time and spending habits of US residents in 2023, feel free to explore our dedicated article.