Skip to main content

Having conquered Spectacles, Snapchat may move on to selling selfie drones

snapchat spectacles slump
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Snapchat’s parent company Snap may not be flying high when it comes to the stock market, but the company is hoping that it might reach new heights through a different medium. According to The Information, Snap is “in talks to acquire Zero Zero Robotics,” a Chinese selfie drone manufacturer. Should the deal prove successful, it would be Snap’s second foray into the hardware space following the success of its glasses — the Spectacles.

As it stands, Zero Zero already has quite the deal worked out with an American company. Apple maintains the exclusive right to sell the drone maker’s $500 Hover Camera Passport Drone, which as its name suggests, hovers above you and takes aerial selfies. But according to The Information’s sources, it would appear that Zero Zero “had been looking to raise money when it made contact with Snap.” After all, it wouldn’t be the first time that a once-successful drone company found itself in dire straits.

Moreover, as TechCrunch pointed out, Snap has previously snapped up struggling drone companies at the eleventh hour. For example, the company reportedly bought Ctrl Me Robotics, which might otherwise have shut down operations.

The deal is reportedly within the $150 million to $200 million range, and while this certainly represents an impressive sum, it’s not the most Snap has paid in an acquisition. When it bought social map company Zenly, it was reported that Snap paid more than $250 million.

Of course, nothing is confirmed as of yet, and neither Zero Zero nor Snap has returned requests for comment. Still, such an acquisition would make plenty of sense for Snap — the New York Times previously reported that Snap had investigated developing its own drones, though it now appears that the company would rather turn to outside help.

Snap is certainly feeling the pressure to deliver more promising news to its investors, as the news of the potential Zero Zero acquisition was announced on the same day that Snap’s shares on Wall Street hit a record low. On Wednesday, shares were trading at $13.10, representing a 23-percent decline from the opening price when the company went public in March.

Editors' Recommendations

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Bluesky barrels toward 1 million new sign-ups in a day
Bluesky social media app logo.

Social media app Bluesky has picked nearly a million new users just a day after exiting its invitation-only beta and opening to everyone.

In a post on its main rival -- X (formerly Twitter) -- Bluesky shared a chart showing a sudden boost in usage on the app, which can now be downloaded for free for iPhone and Android devices.

Read more
How to make a GIF from a YouTube video
woman sitting and using laptop

Sometimes, whether you're chatting with friends or posting on social media, words just aren't enough -- you need a GIF to fully convey your feelings. If there's a moment from a YouTube video that you want to snip into a GIF, the good news is that you don't need complex software to so it. There are now a bunch of ways to make a GIF from a YouTube video right in your browser.

If you want to use desktop software like Photoshop to make a GIF, then you'll need to download the YouTube video first before you can start making a GIF. However, if you don't want to go through that bother then there are several ways you can make a GIF right in your browser, without the need to download anything. That's ideal if you're working with a low-specced laptop or on a phone, as all the processing to make the GIF is done in the cloud rather than on your machine. With these options you can make quick and fun GIFs from YouTube videos in just a few minutes.
Use GIFs.com for great customization
Step 1: Find the YouTube video that you want to turn into a GIF (perhaps a NASA archive?) and copy its URL.

Read more
I paid Meta to ‘verify’ me — here’s what actually happened
An Instagram profile on an iPhone.

In the fall of 2023 I decided to do a little experiment in the height of the “blue check” hysteria. Twitter had shifted from verifying accounts based (more or less) on merit or importance and instead would let users pay for a blue checkmark. That obviously went (and still goes) badly. Meanwhile, Meta opened its own verification service earlier in the year, called Meta Verified.

Mostly aimed at “creators,” Meta Verified costs $15 a month and helps you “establish your account authenticity and help[s] your community know it’s the real us with a verified badge." It also gives you “proactive account protection” to help fight impersonation by (in part) requiring you to use two-factor authentication. You’ll also get direct account support “from a real person,” and exclusive features like stickers and stars.

Read more