Meta reported strong Q2 FY25 results, surpassing Wall Street expectations with revenue up 22% year-over-year to $47.5 billion, and earnings per share (EPS) of $7.14, beating estimates by $1.24. Daily active users grew by 6% to 3.48 billion, and ad impressions increased by 11% year-over-year. The company’s operating margin improved by 5 percentage points to 43%, and capital expenditures for FY25 were raised to a range of $66-72 billion.
Financial Performance and Market Reaction
Meta’s revenue of $47.52 billion exceeded analyst expectations of around $44.3 billion, driving the stock price up over 12% in after-hours trading, reaching an all-time high of $780 per share. The earnings beat was attributed to robust ad performance and strong user engagement.
AI Talent and Cost Growth
Meta highlighted that employee compensation for technical talent in priority areas is its second-largest cost growth driver, behind infrastructure expenses. This reflects the company’s aggressive hiring in the AI space, described by CEO Mark Zuckerberg as building an “elite, talent-dense team.” Notable hires include ex-OpenAI researcher Shengjia Zhao as chief scientist of Meta’s Superintelligence Labs and former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman.
AI Strategy and Superintelligence Lab
Zuckerberg emphasized Meta’s commitment to AI, referencing the launch of the new Superintelligence Lab, led by Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang, supported by a $15 billion investment in the startup. He praised the efficiency of small, dense teams for frontier AI research and expressed optimism about the future of AI development at Meta.
Product Updates and Vision
Sales of Meta’s AI-powered Ray-Bans are accelerating, contributing to a nearly 5% revenue increase in the Reality Labs division. Zuckerberg described glasses as the “ideal form factor for AI,” aligning with his vision of “personal superintelligence.”
Advertising and AI Tools
On the advertising front, Meta CFO Susan Li reported that nearly 2 million advertisers have utilized Meta’s AI video generation and image tools, highlighting the integration of AI into the company’s core advertising business.
Overall, Meta’s Q2 results reflect strong growth driven by user engagement, advertising, and a strategic focus on AI talent and innovation.
