Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Saturday, Jul 12, 2025

Facebook owner Meta’s profits exceed expectations

Facebook owner Meta’s profits exceed expectations

Meta, Facebook and Instagram's parent firm, has reported a profit of $5.7bn (£4.6bn) for the first quarter of this year, surpassing expectations for a period in which many jobs were cut.

It said artificial intelligence (AI) was "driving good results" across its business.

Total revenue was $28.6bn, while the number of people on Facebook every month rose to just under three billion.

"Our community continues to grow," said chief executive Mark Zuckerberg.

"We're also becoming more efficient so we can build better products faster, and put ourselves in a stronger position to deliver our long-term vision," he said.


'No longer behind in building AI'


Meta sees "an opportunity to introduce AI agents to billions of people in ways that will be useful and meaningful," Mr Zuckerberg told investors.

While offering few details, he said that Meta was "exploring chat experiences in WhatsApp and Messenger, visual creation tools for posts in Facebook and Instagram and ads, and over time video and multimodal experiences as well."

The company intends to commercialise its privately-run generative AI, joining Google in finding practical applications for the tech - because the industry is awash with hype around its capabilities.

Meta established Facebook's AI Research laboratory in 2013, but has not made big inroads in this area yet, as some other big tech firms - such as Microsoft - have done.

But Mr Zuckerberg insisted Meta was "no longer behind in building our AI infrastructure" and said generative AI Meta products, which can instantly create sentences and graphics, would be released in the coming months.

He added the move would not be at the cost of the metaverse, Meta's virtual reality project.

Meta's Reality Labs division reported a net loss of $4bn last quarter, and the company said it expected "operating losses to increase year over year in 2023".

However, Mr Zuckerberg said the "narrative that has developed that Meta is moving away from the metaverse" was "not accurate", adding it still planned to reveal the next Quest VR headset later this year.


Cost-cutting pays off


The positive financial figures coincide with a period where Meta has slashed jobs and projects. The aim was to turn 2023 into "a year of efficiency," said Mr Zuckerberg.

Meta has been the most aggressive US big tech firm when it comes to downsizing, shedding almost a quarter of its global workforce, more than 20,000 jobs, in just a few months.

"The year of efficiency is off to a stronger than expected start for Meta," said Insider Intelligence principal analyst, Debra Aho Williamson.

"In this economic environment - and after the disaster that was 2022 - 3% year over year revenue growth is an accomplishment," she added.

Mr Zuckerberg has called 2022 "a humbling wake-up call" and said it would be wise to "prepare ourselves for the possibility that this new economic reality will continue for many years".

Ben Barringer, from investment management firm Quilter Cheviot, said: "You have to take your hat off to Mark Zuckerberg and Meta given the transformation of the business over the last six months.

"The 'year of efficiency' Zuckerberg likes to talk about is bearing fruit. These results are a strong beat on the expectations and, given the improving macro backdrop, Meta should continue to recover well."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
×