Meta's $19 billion bid to own messaging in the US gains steam — and AI could give it an edge over Apple's iMessage

• Meta is on a mission to dominate messaging apps in the US, and AI is helping it gain steam.
• WhatsApp hit 100 million monthly active US users last week; it has more than 2 billion globally.
• WhatsApp's domestic ads in recent years have focused on privacy and interoperability.

Meta's bid to dominate messaging in the US is gaining some steam.

After buying WhatsApp in 2014 for $19 billion in cash and stock, Meta last week reached a milestone, crossing 100 million monthly active users of the messaging app in the US.