Meta takes $16B hit to earnings from Trump's Big Beautiful Bill, warns of higher AI costs

Core Insights - Meta is forecasting "notably larger" capital expenses for the next year due to significant investments in AI, alongside a nearly $16 billion one-time charge that negatively impacted its third-quarter profit [1][8] - The company's third-quarter revenue grew by 26%, but this was overshadowed by a 33% increase in costs, which pressured profit margins [2] - Meta's capital expenditure is now expected to be between $70 billion and $72 billion for the year, up from a previous forecast of $66 billion to $72 billion [4][6] Financial Performance - Excluding the one-time charge, Meta's third-quarter net income would have been between $15.93 billion and $18.64 billion, compared to the reported net income of $2.71 billion [1][8] - The increase in costs is largely attributed to employee compensation, particularly for AI talent, which is expected to be the second-largest contributor to rising expenses [4][9] AI Investments - Meta has committed to substantial investments in AI, aiming for superintelligence, which involves building massive AI data centers [2][11] - The company has reorganized its AI efforts under the Superintelligence Labs unit to enhance decision-making and streamline operations [8][9] - Major tech companies, including Meta, are projected to spend a total of $400 billion on AI infrastructure this year, raising concerns about an AI bubble [10] Advertising and Market Position - Meta continues to leverage its extensive user base to drive ad revenue, utilizing an AI-optimized ad platform to enhance marketing effectiveness [5] - The company has expanded its advertising efforts on platforms like WhatsApp and Threads, competing directly with rivals such as X and TikTok [7]