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.

Recommended Videos

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.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

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.

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…
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
Here’s how to delete your YouTube account on any device
How to delete your YouTube account

Wanting to get out of the YouTube business? If you want to delete your YouTube account, all you need to do is go to your YouTube Studio page, go to the Advanced Settings, and follow the section that will guide you to permanently delete your account. If you need help with these steps, or want to do so on a platform that isn't your computer, you can follow the steps below.

Note that the following steps will delete your YouTube channel, not your associated Google account.

Read more
How to download Instagram photos for free
Instagram app running on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5.

Instagram is amazing, and many of us use it as a record of our lives — uploading the best bits of our trips, adventures, and notable moments. But sometimes you can lose the original files of those moments, leaving the Instagram copy as the only available one . While you may be happy to leave it up there, it's a lot more convenient to have another version of it downloaded onto your phone or computer. While downloading directly from Instagram can be tricky, there are ways around it. Here are a few easy ways to download Instagram photos.

Read more