business

1/29/25

Meta crushes earnings, revenue grows a smashing 21% in Q4

Undaunted by a shocking week in the AI world that questioned the “go big or go home” playbook that Meta and its competitors are following, the company is going full speed ahead.

Meta reported strong Q4 earnings, posting a $20.8 billion profit for the quarter — a 49% increase year over year — with revenues of $48.3 billion growing 21% from last year, easily beating estimates of $46.9 billion.

For the year, revenue was $164.5 billion, up 22% from 2023.

In Q4, Meta’s capital expenditures were $14.84 billion, an increase of 88% year over year. The total capital expenditures for FY 2024 were $39.2 billion.

Last week, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company plans on spending between $60 billion and $65 billion on AI infrastructure, including a city-sized data center and more than 1.3 million GPUs.

Meta expects to continue its investments in AI this year. In the 10-Q filing, the company said its “AI initiatives will require increased investment in infrastructure and headcount.”

Meta’s Reality Labs division, which develops AI glasses and VR headsets, continued its ongoing losses, with a $4.97 billion loss for the quarter, bringing the 2024 losses for the division to $17.8 billion.

“We continue to make good progress on AI, glasses, and the future of social media. I’m excited to see these efforts scale further in 2025,” Zuckerberg said.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Meta will pay President Trump $25 million to settle a lawsuit he filed over his account being banned in 2021.

Meta’s stock was up about 5% in after-hours trading.

More Business

See all Business

business

19h

Paramount Skydance reportedly preparing an Ellison-backed Warner Bros. Discovery takeover bid, sending shares soaring

Paramount Skydance is preparing a majority cash bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, The Wall Street Journal reported, sending shares of both companies surging. The Journal’s sources say the deal is backed by the Ellison family, led by David Ellison.

WBD shares were up 30% on the report, while Paramount Skydance jumped 8%.

The offer would cover WBD’s entire business — cable networks, movie studios, the whole enchilada. That comes after WBD announced plans last year to split into two divisions: one for streaming and studios, the other for its traditional cable and TV assets. A recent Wells Fargo note gave WBD a price target hike, primarily because the analysts viewed it as a prime takeover candidate.

If the deal goes through, it would bring together HBO, CNN, DC Studios, and Warner Bros.’ film library with Paramount+, Nickelodeon, and MTV, all under one umbrella.

Exclusive | Paramount Skydance Prepares Ellison-Backed Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery

Exclusive | Paramount Skydance Prepares Ellison-Backed Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery

The offer would cover WBD’s entire business — cable networks, movie studios, the whole enchilada. That comes after WBD announced plans last year to split into two divisions: one for streaming and studios, the other for its traditional cable and TV assets. A recent Wells Fargo note gave WBD a price target hike, primarily because the analysts viewed it as a prime takeover candidate.

If the deal goes through, it would bring together HBO, CNN, DC Studios, and Warner Bros.’ film library with Paramount+, Nickelodeon, and MTV, all under one umbrella.

As tariffs take root, August new vehicle prices climb by the most in more than 2 years

According to data from Cox Automotive, 17 vehicle brands raised prices of their new vehicles by more than 3% in August.

Ford Issues Recalls On Some Of Its Mach-E Mustangs And Aviators

Netflix taps Amazon to sell streaming ads in new partnership

Starting this fall, brands will be able to access Netflix’s premium ad slots using Amazon’s buying tech.

Netflix Headquarters

Bank branches are still closing at breakneck speed in the US

Institutions like Chase and Wells Fargo closed 76 locations in just six weeks over the summer, per the OCC.

Indianapolis - March 2016: Chase Bank III

business

9/9/25

Fox and News Corp slide as investors digest $3.3 billion Murdoch succession settlement

Fox and News Corp shares dropped on Tuesday after Rupert Murdoch’s heirs agreed to a $3.3 billion settlement to resolve a long-running succession drama.

Under the deal, Prudence, Elisabeth, and James Murdoch will each receive about $1.1 billion, paid for in part by Fox selling 16.9 million Class B voting shares and News Corp selling 14.2 million shares. The stock sales will raise roughly $1.37 billion on behalf of the three heirs.

The new trust for Lachlan Murdoch will now control about 36.2% of Fox’s Class B shares and roughly 33.1% of News Corp’s stock, granting him uncontested voting authority over both companies for the next 25 years. Originally, the Murdoch trust was designed to hand over voting control of Fox and News Corp to Prudence, Elisabeth, Lachlan, and James after his death.

Investors are weighing the trade-off. Clear leadership under Lachlan may resolve conflict internally, but the share dilution, executed at a roughly 4.5% discount, means long-term investors now hold slightly less clout than before.

Both companies’ stocks were trading close to all-time highs prior to the announcement.

Latest Stories

Sherwood Media, LLC produces fresh and unique perspectives on topical financial news and is a fully owned subsidiary of Robinhood Markets, Inc., and any views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of any other Robinhood affiliate, including Robinhood Markets, Inc., Robinhood Financial LLC, Robinhood Securities, LLC, Robinhood Crypto, LLC, or Robinhood Money, LLC.

©2025 Sherwood Media, LLC