This Meta campaign is a case study in strategic reframing, with 4 major examples:
1) REFRAMES THE AI RACE FROM “who builds it the best” TO “who distributes it to the most people”:
Instead of fighting over who has the most capable models, Meta is framing the race as being won by distribution. With open models, free products, consumer dna, and 3.5 bn users, Meta is best positioned here
2) REFRAMES COMPETITORS FROM “holding the technical lead” TO “holding too much concentrated power”:
Classic populist stance, with the insight that hostility to AI is largely hostility to being subjugated by an overlord class of AI perma-elites. The frontier labs’ biggest advantage (lead in capabilities) becomes a liability, while Meta’s huge user base is used to reposition Meta too powerful in its own right to being a check on the power of the frontier labs (the perfect foil)
3) REFRAMES SAFETY DEBATE FROM “more vs less safe” TO “optimists vs doomers”:
OpenAI and Anthropic have spent years focusing on AI risks, and many people see this as noble and responsible. By equating safety focus to doomerism, Meta repositions itself from being less safe to being more optimistic about the future, while making competitors look like tiresome hypocrites
4) REFRAMING META’S PORTFOLIO FROM “unfocused and capricious” TO “a future for everyone”:
In jumping between crypto, metaverse, AI, hardware, Meta has been accused of lack of focus and trying to do everything. But now they can position these motley initiatives as being unified by the coherent theme that Meta technology is “for everyone.” It’s not ADHD, it’s a mission to put frontier technologies into the hands of ordinary people
In the process, they’re also tapping into many parts of the zeitgeist: distrust of concentrated power, support for open models, permanent underclass anxiety, doomer fatigue
But Meta’s key strategic move here is to change the criteria for the AI race. Under the old criteria (capabilities of frontier models) Meta was seen as behind. Under these new criteria (widespread universal distribution of technology), Meta might actually have the strongest position in the industry