Articles about Meta

• Meta Platforms reported Q1 revenue of $39.1 billion, growing 27% year-over-year and substantially exceeding Wall Street consensus estimates, driven by robust advertising demand and improved cost management. • Average revenue per user (ARPU) in the United States increased 18% year-over-year to $54.62, reflecting higher-value ad inventory and refined targeting capabilities powered by artificial intelligence. • The company guided Q2 revenue at $37-39.5 billion, cautioning of seasonal moderation, though full-year guidance remains constructive and suggests sustained advertiser confidence despite macro uncertainty.

Nearly 70% of under-16s with accounts on Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok had maintained access, survey findsThe Australian government has accused big tech firms like Meta, TikTok and Google of disobeying the landmark ban on under-16s using social media, after the country’s online safety office warned many children had accounts.A survey of 900 Australian parents found around a third (31%) said their children still had one or more social media accounts after the ban, compared to 49% before the laws. Continue reading...

• Alcoa shares surged 11-12% and Century Aluminum 13.6% as aluminum prices reached near four-year highs due to Middle East infrastructure strikes. • Iranian missile strikes hit critical metal industry infrastructure, disrupting supply and driving the commodity rally amid the widening conflict. • The gains in metal stocks contribute to broader market recovery, underscoring sector sensitivity to geopolitical supply shocks.

• A New Mexico jury found Meta liable for US$375 million in damages for failing to protect young people from online harm, including exploitation by sexual predators, in violation of state consumer protection laws. • This verdict follows a separate Los Angeles jury decision ordering Meta and Google to pay US$6 million to a 20-year-old woman over claims that their apps were addictive and caused mental health crises. • Multiple states have filed similar cases against Meta, signaling a broader accountability movement targeting major tech platforms' user engagement and safety practices.

• Chinese authorities are reviewing Meta's US$2 billion acquisition of AI startup Manus, questioning whether the deal violated technology export and overseas investment rules, marking increased regulatory scrutiny of cross-border tech transactions. • Chinese regulators reportedly restricted Manus founders from leaving the country and began examining the deal shortly after announcement, suggesting a strategic shift toward scrutinizing where technology is developed rather than where companies are registered. • The regulatory action has drawn attention across the tech industry, indicating that traditional offshore structuring strategies may no longer protect companies from government oversight as both China and the US increase AI company surveillance.

• Meta is financing multiple natural gas power plants in Louisiana to exclusively supply electricity for its massive new data center supporting AI operations. • The project addresses surging energy demands from AI training, with the plants designed to generate dedicated power bypassing the public grid amid national infrastructure strains. • This move highlights tech giants' shift toward self-funded energy solutions to avoid burdening consumers and accelerating U.S. data center expansion.

• Major companies—Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Oracle, OpenAI, and xAI—signed a federal pledge to provide their own electricity for AI data centers, shielding U.S. consumers from grid overload. • The commitment responds to exploding energy needs from AI infrastructure, following Meta's Louisiana gas plant initiative and similar efforts nationwide. • Industry leaders aim to prevent rate hikes and blackouts while fueling the AI boom central to U.S. tech competitiveness.

• Tech giants including Meta and Google spent over $39 million in 2025 to influence California politics on AI and crypto, per CalMatters analysis released March 27, 2026. • Meta alone invested $4.6 million lobbying against AI regulations, its highest ever since 2010. • This surge precedes high-stakes 2026 elections, including California's open governor race, signaling intensified Big Tech political engagement.

With two unprecedented trial defeats, big tech firms face crisis akin to that faced by cigarette makers in the 1990sIn the span of just two days, the most powerful social media company in the world faced a more severe public reckoning than it has in years.Jurors in California and New Mexico gave back-to-back verdicts this week that for the first time ever found Meta liable for products that inflict harm on young people. For years, lawmakers, parents and advocates have raised red flags over how social media can hurt children, but now the tech firms are being held to account via court rulings that could set long-lasting precedents. Continue reading...

• A Los Angeles jury on Wednesday found Meta and Google liable in a case involving a young woman's depression linked to social media platform use, challenging existing legal protections for tech companies. • The verdict represents a significant legal development challenging Section 230 liability shields that have historically protected technology companies from user-generated content lawsuits. • This ruling potentially opens the door to broader litigation against social media platforms regarding mental health impacts, marking a notable shift in tech industry legal liability exposure.

• Meta is reducing its workforce while simultaneously increasing investment in artificial intelligence capabilities and research. • The company is shifting resources to prioritize AI development over other business areas, signaling a strategic pivot in corporate priorities. • This move reflects broader industry trends where major tech companies are reallocating capital toward AI infrastructure and models despite economic pressures.

Courts in Australia may be willing to hold social media companies accountable for real-world harm, lawyers sayFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralian law firms are investigating the scope for future legal cases after a landmark US court ruling that found Meta and YouTube liable for deliberately designing addictive products.A jury in Los Angeles ruled against the two tech giants on Wednesday, finding both to be negligent and having failed to provide adequate warnings about the potential dangers of their products. Continue reading...

• ARM unveiled its first proprietary AGI CPU for AI data centers, shifting from licensing designs to manufacturing its own silicon. • Early adopters include Meta, OpenAI, Cloudflare, and Cerebras, positioning ARM directly in the AI infrastructure market. • This move underscores the intensifying competition in AI hardware, where control over end-to-end production is becoming critical for major players.

New Mexico hails ‘historic’ win after jury finds firm misled consumers over safety and enabled harm against usersA New Mexico jury on Tuesday ordered Meta to pay $375m in civil penalties after it found the company misled consumers about the safety of its platforms and enabled harm, including child sexual exploitation, against its users.This is the first bench trial to find Meta liable for acts committed on its platform. Continue reading...

Shipments to Russian smelters from Aughinish Alumina have increased sharply since the invasion of UkraineA leading Irish metals refinery is part of an international aluminium supply chain that appears to conclude with shipments to arms producers feeding the Kremlin’s war machine in Ukraine, leaked records and public data suggests.Trading records show that shipments to Russian smelters from Aughinish Alumina, which is located on the Shannon estuary in the west of Ireland and has been owned by the Russian aluminium group Rusal since 2006, have increased sharply since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Continue reading...

• Meta announced a $12 billion compute purchase commitment from Nebius on March 16, 2026, fueling its AI infrastructure expansion amid operational restructuring. • The deal supports Meta's aggressive push into enterprise and consumer AI needs, complementing planned staff reductions for efficiency. • This underscores intensifying compute hunger among U.S. tech giants, driving demand for specialized AI cloud providers.

• Meta is planning a significant workforce reduction of 20%, marking another major restructuring at the social media and technology company. • The layoffs signal ongoing cost-control measures within the company as it navigates evolving market conditions and competitive pressures. • The reduction would represent a substantial change to Meta's organizational structure and headcount across its global operations.

Meta Platforms is evaluating layoffs impacting at least 20% of its nearly 79,000 employees as of December 31, 2025, to counter escalating AI infrastructure expenses, according to a Reuters report on March 14, 2026. Top executives discussed the plans with senior leaders, marking potentially the largest restructuring since 21,000 job cuts in 2022-2023 if implemented. The move aligns with industry trends, as Amazon recently eliminated 30,000 roles citing AI-driven efficiencies. A Meta spokesperson dismissed the report as speculative on theoretical approaches, amid broader tech sector adjustments to AI economics.

Wall Street closed lower on Friday with all three major indexes ending the week in the red, while the Russell 2000 hit its lowest level of the year, despite strong corporate earnings and solid guidance reportedly supporting broader market trends. Meta Platforms shares fell nearly 4% following a report that the social media giant has postponed the release of its AI model Avocado to at least May, signaling potential delays in the company's AI product roadmap. Ulta Beauty shares slumped more than 14% as rising costs deepened margin concerns, with the company's new CEO flagging potential global cost impacts. The mixed market performance reflects investor uncertainty about technology sector growth prospects amid ongoing economic and competitive pressures.

Meta halted construction on a key segment of its 2Africa subsea cable project on March 13, 2026, citing security threats from the escalating US-Iran conflict disrupting Middle East routes. The $1.2 billion initiative, spanning 37,000 km to connect Africa and Europe, faces delays costing millions in potential bandwidth losses. This pause underscores geopolitical risks to global tech infrastructure investments, as Iran tensions threaten undersea cables vital for AI data flows. Meta plans rerouting assessments, with resumption eyed post-ceasefire.

Sources tell Reuters layoffs could affect 20% or more of company as plans reflect broader tensions within big techMeta is planning sweeping layoffs that could affect 20% or more of the company, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, as Meta seeks to offset costly artificial intelligence infrastructure bets and prepare for greater efficiency brought about by AI-assisted workers.No date has been set for the cuts and the magnitude has not been finalized, the people said. Continue reading...

Meta delayed rollout of its new AI model code-named Avocado after internal tests showed it lagging competitors in reasoning, coding, and writing, reported on March 13, 2026. The New York Times detailed the model's underperformance against benchmarks. This setback comes amid intense AI competition and highlights challenges in model development. Meta must refine the model to catch up in the race for advanced capabilities.

Meta delayed its new AI model, code-named Avocado, after internal tests showed it lagging competitors in reasoning, coding, and writing, reported on March 13, 2026. The setback impacts Meta's AI ambitions amid intense industry competition. Engineers are iterating to close performance gaps before public release. This highlights challenges in achieving frontier AI capabilities quickly.

Meta delayed the rollout of its Avocado AI model after internal tests revealed it underperformed competitors in reasoning, coding, and writing, reported on March 13, 2026. The New York Times cited concerns over the model's benchmarks against rivals. This setback impacts Meta's AI ambitions amid intensifying competition. Analysts expect revisions before any public release.