In today's ExchangeWire news digest: Meta denies plans to bring ads to WhatsApp; Google appears to be readying Gemini, its conversational AI software, for release; and TikTok Shop opens in the US market.

No ads for WhatsApp, says boss

Meta's head of WhatsApp, Will Cathcart, has spoken against a Financial Times report claiming the firm is exploring bringing ads to the app to boost revenue. The report said teams at the Facebook-parent were discussing serving ads within users' chat lists, a claim which Cathcart described as "false".

Google readying ChatGPT rival, Gemini

Google may be close to releasing its highly anticipated answer to OpenAI's ChatGPT. The company has reportedly granted a small group of companies access to its conversational AI software, Gemini, a move which suggests Google is close to integrating the system into its consumer services.

TikTok Shop open for business in US

After months of testing, TikTok Shop has opened its digital doors in the US market. The offering, which is already available for TikTok users in the UK and parts of Asia, will allow sellers to run in-feed videos and conduct live shopping within the app.

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Fact of the Day

USD$19bn (~£15.2bn) – the amount Meta purchased WhatsApp for in 2014.

Source: Reuters

Last Week's Tech Teasers

After social commerce hit the headlines, we tested your knowledge on the billion-dollar market which could be banned in Indonesia. See how you did below!

• ~$4.9tn – the forecast value of global social commerce by 2030 🌎
• Emcee – the creator-led platform that sponsored New York Fashion Week 💃
• 33.4% – Nigeria’s social commerce market's projected CAGR for 2023-2028 🇳🇬
• +2.5 hours – the average time spent on social media platforms per day ⏰
• Douyin – the app which shared its social commerce forecast on 15/09 📱

Challenge yourself on ad tech, martech, media, and commerce, by signing up to The Stack, where we publish a new quiz every Friday.