Meta (Nasdaq: META) caught Wall Street’s attention this morning after posting numbers that seem to speak for themselves, record-breaking ad revenue and a level of investment in artificial intelligence that puts almost every other tech giant in the rearview mirror. Investors wasted no time responding. Shares were up more than 12% at the open of the market today, a move that added tens of billions of dollars to Meta’s market value within minutes.
Revenue figures from Meta’s second quarter landed well above what analysts expected. The company brought in $47.5 billion in revenue for the quarter ending June 30, with ad revenue totaling $46.6 billion, a 22% year-over-year gain that stands out in an otherwise cautious digital ad market. The social media giant’s bottom line also impressed, with earnings per share shooting up to $7.14, close to 40% above consensus predictions. Ad demand is clearly robust, and Meta is capturing a greater share of every ad dollar, extracting more value per user through improved pricing and stronger targeting tools powered increasingly by AI.
Much of Meta’s recent ad growth has nothing to do with getting more users to spend more time on Facebook or Instagram. In fact, user engagement in its most mature markets is flattening out. What’s really powering revenue right now is the company’s ability to deliver higher returns for advertisers. The average price per ad climbed 9% globally, and in key regions like Europe and North America, prices were up by double digits. Advertisers are eager to pay those higher prices, largely because Meta’s AI-drive ad tools, like the Advantage+ suite, now used by over 4 million advertisers, are delivering on their promises.
This is not just a story about numbers. It’s a story about a massive bet on the future. Meta announced it plans to spend up to $72 billion in capital expenditures this year, most of it directed at developing the infrastructure to support AI, far higher than last year’s tally and one of the largest investments of its kind among global tech players. Think cutting-edge data centers, GPU clusters, and salaries aimed at attracting top AI talent. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been direct about his vision: Meta is racing to achieve “superintelligence,” building AI systems that could eventually surpass human performance in complex tasks.
That’s not just big talk. Meta has already launched initiatives like the Prometheus supercomputer, which is expected to deliver over a gigawatt of compute power by 2026. It’s also expanding in areas like AI-driven content creation and next-generation ad tools. The company’s internal models, including its latest Llama system, are rapidly being deployed across its vast family of apps, from Facebook to WhatsApp.
The scale of this commitment isn’t without risk. Labor costs have surged as Meta competes for AI talent, and some analysts have flagged the potential margin pressure this kind of spending can create. Rising capital outlays are expected to continue into 2026, with Meta itself cautioning investors that spending may outrun revenue growth in some periods. Still, the market’s collective reaction to today’s earnings leaves little doubt: investors are, for now, firmly in Meta’s corner, expressing confidence in Zuckerberg’s willingness to outspend rivals and drive innovation at an unmatched scale.
For anyone watching the digital advertising and AI arms race, Meta’s latest results may mark an inflection point. It isn’t winning because it has more users or because people spend more time scrolling through endless feeds. It’s winning because it’s figured out how to squeeze more value out of every single click, all while laying down an enormous, AI-powered runway for whatever comes next. If the past quarter is any indication, the age of superintelligence, and supercharged returns, might be closer than most of us realize.
