Key Notes
- Meta employees are testing a prediction app currently called Takes.
- Participants use virtual cred points rather than real money.
- The trial extends Meta’s forecasting efforts as Kalshi and Polymarket expand.
Meta Platforms (Nasdaq: META) employees have begun testing a prediction-market app called Takes, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday. Participants wager virtual points on questions and events rather than putting up real money.
The virtual currency is called “cred,” short for credibility. The app lets staff use it to wager on the outcomes of questions or events.
An Employee Trial, With Points at Stake
Takes remains under development, with employees acting as its test audience. Such internal trials can help a company assess a product before a broader release, but public launch plans remain unconfirmed.
The points-based format matters commercially. Takes could test whether people enjoy making forecasts and comparing their judgment without requiring them to deposit cash. The current trial does not establish a real-money betting business or a revenue model.
Meta’s Forecasting Plans Predate Takes
Meta’s interest in the category was already visible in June. NPR reported that Mark Zuckerberg had assembled a team to build a standalone app then known as Arena, after previously exploring an acquisition of Kalshi.
Documents reviewed by NPR described play-money predictions about news and trending topics, with AI generating questions and determining outcomes.
Prediction-Market Rivals Keep Expanding
Kalshi is reportedly seeking new capital at a potential $65 billion valuation in funding talks reported November 12, following its $40 billion round on October 29. The proposed valuation remains under discussion.
Polymarket is also reshaping its business. It confirmed job cuts and contractor departures on November 11 as part of a reorganization, after saying its annualized revenue run rate had topped $1.8 billion.
Meta’s trial asks a different commercial question from those cash-based businesses: whether forecasting can become a habit when the reward is credibility rather than a payout.
