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The Silicon Valley company made the revenue projection as it reported a 35 percent rise in profit in the first quarter.
By Mike Isaac and Eli Tan
Mike Isaac and Eli Tan cover Meta and Silicon Valley from San Francisco.
April 30, 2025Updated 7:13 p.m. ET
As President Trump’s tariffs have upended global trade, many eyes have been on Silicon Valley and how the biggest tech companies — including Meta — intend to weather the storm.
On Wednesday, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s chief executive, told investors he had a plan.
In a quarterly earnings call, Mr. Zuckerberg said his company, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, would lean on five pillars that he saw as its strengths. They included using artificial intelligence to improve the company’s ads and increase the time people spend on the platforms, making more money from messaging apps and doubling down on A.I. investments.
The plan is already working, he said, adding that he expected continued strong revenue growth in Meta’s advertising business.
“This has been a good start to what I expect to continue to be an intense year,” Mr. Zuckerberg said. “Even with our significant investments, we don’t need to succeed in all of these areas to have a good” return on investment.
“But if we do, I think we’ll feel wildly good about what’s happening,” he added.
Mr. Zuckerberg’s optimism contrasted with comments made by executives at other companies in recent weeks, many of whom have given muted guidance or spoken of the fallout they might see from Mr. Trump’s tariffs. His remarks carry weight as Meta is often regarded as a bellwether for the tech industry, especially in online advertising.
For the first quarter, Meta posted revenue of $42.3 billion, up 16 percent from a year earlier and above Wall Street estimates of $41.3 billion, according to data compiled by FactSet, a market analysis firm. Profit was $16.6 billion, up 35 percent from $12.4 billion a year earlier and surpassing estimates of $13.6 billion.
