#Meta Smashes Earnings Expectations in Q4, Mark Zuckerberg Touts “U.S. Administration That Is Proud of Our Leading Companies”

Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, revealed a blowout Q4 in its latest earnings report, but warned Wall Street that its capital expenditures will soar in 2025, partly due to its investment in generative AI technology.

Revenue in Q4 was $48.4 billion, with net income of $20.8 billion, up 21 percent and 49 percent from the year before.

“This is going to be a really big year,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told Wall Street analysts Wednesday afternoon.

He also acknowledged the new Trump administration, expressing optimism about its policy toward tech: “We now have a U.S. administration that is proud of our leading companies, prioritizes American technology winning and that will defend our values and interests abroad,” Zuckerberg said. “I am optimistic about the progress and innovation that this can unlock. So this is going to be a big year.”

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Meta had agreed to a $25 million settlement with Trump over his ban from the platform after Jan. 7, 2021.

He also gave updates on the company’s approach to AI, telling analysts that “I expect that this is going to be the year when a highly intelligent and personalized AI assistant reaches more than 1 billion people, and I expect Meta AI to be that leading AI assistant.”

“Meta AI is already used by more people than any other assistant, and once a service reaches that kind of scale, it usually develops a durable, long term advantage,” he added.

Addressing the future of video on Instagram and Facebook, he said, “We’re going to learn what’s going to happen with TikTok, and regardless of that, I expect reels on Instagram and Facebook to continue growing. I expect Threads to continue on its trajectory to become the leading discussion platform and eventually reach a billion people over the next several years. Threads now has more than 320 million monthly actives and has been adding more than 1 million signups per day.”