Meta posts strong growth on advertising and AI
Revenue at the parent company of Facebook and Instagram rose by 26 per cent in the third quarter.
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Meta recorded significantly higher revenue and profit in the third quarter of 2026. The company attributed the growth to its advertising operations and investments in artificial intelligence.
Meta Platforms reported net profit of 9.86 billion dollars for the period from July to September. That was more than three times as much as in the same quarter a year earlier, when profit stood at 2.71 billion dollars.
Revenue rose by 26 per cent to 64.60 billion dollars. This put Meta above analysts’ expectations, who according to Associated Press had forecast 63.34 billion dollars. The figures were published on Wednesday after the US stock market closed.
The profit figures were affected by a one-off charge of 9.89 billion dollars related to a settlement with 48 US states. Without that charge, earnings per share would have been 7.40 dollars, according to Meta.
Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said Meta had taken important steps with its AI products during the quarter. According to him, more than ten million people in the United States and Canada had created an account for Muse, a personal AI assistant the company launched in August.
Use of Meta’s existing platforms also continued to grow. The average number of daily active users of Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp reached 3.64 billion, an increase of 3 per cent year on year. Meta had 66,775 employees on 30 September, 15 per cent fewer than a year earlier.
For the current quarter, Meta expects revenue of between 73 and 76 billion dollars. Meta said the company would also continue to spend large sums on artificial intelligence and infrastructure. This makes the results relevant to advertisers, technology companies and investors, as well as to the debate about the influence of large platform companies on digital life.
The results do not provide an independent picture of the consequences for users in the Netherlands. Meta reports growth in the use of its platforms and personal AI assistant.
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Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The financial figures, user numbers, workforce size and outlook can be found in the sources used. The context concerning the consequences for the Netherlands is carefully worded and contains no unsupported specific claims.
- confirmed Meta reported net profit of 9.86 billion dollars for the period from July to September. — Mentioned by Associated Press in its report on the quarterly figures. source
- confirmed Revenue rose by 26 per cent to 64.60 billion dollars. — Mentioned by Associated Press. source
- confirmed Meta reported 3.64 billion daily active users across its family of apps. — Mentioned by Associated Press. source
- confirmed More than ten million people in the United States and Canada created a Muse account. — Zuckerberg mentioned this, according to Associated Press, during a conversation with analysts. source
- confirmed Meta had 66,775 employees on 30 September, 15 per cent fewer than a year earlier. — Mentioned by Associated Press. source
Editor's note
The quarterly figures and user numbers are based on Meta and Associated Press. The consequences for the Netherlands and the broader relevance to platform regulation are context; separate Dutch market data were unavailable.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- De Telegraaf — „meta kwartaalcijfers”
- Trouw — „meta kwartaalcijfers”
- RTL Nieuws — „meta kwartaalcijfers”