Mark Zuckerberg has received the green light from investors to continue making massive investments in artificial intelligence, even though his strategy appears less clearly defined compared to the competition. Meta released fourth-quarter results that exceeded expectations in both revenue and profit. The company's shares jumped by as much as 10% in after-hours trading following the earnings release.
The company reported 24% year-over-year revenue growth, driven primarily by online advertising. This strong performance in its core business segment gave investors confidence that Meta can afford to continue making costly investments in AI.
Capital expenditures to nearly double
Meta revealed plans for capital expenditures of between $115 billion and $135 billion (approximately CZK 2.6 trillion to CZK 3.4 trillion) for 2026. This represents nearly double the amount the company spent on infrastructure in 2025, when it invested $72 billion (about CZK 1.6 trillion).
The company's chief financial officer, Susan Li, explained during a call with analysts that Meta remains "capacity constrained," meaning it needs more computing power to improve its core advertising business while also providing its AI team with the resources needed to create more advanced models and products. "Our teams did a great job expanding our infrastructure throughout 2025, but demand for computing resources across the company grew even faster than our supply," Li said.
New AI models in development
During the call with investors, Zuckerberg suggested that 2026 will be a pivotal year for AI, with Meta's investments focused on supporting his mission to build "personal superintelligence." "In 2025, we rebuilt the foundations of our AI program," Zuckerberg said, referring to the company's recently restructured AI lab. "In the coming months, we will begin delivering our new models and products... and I expect us to continue pushing the boundaries of what is possible throughout the new year."
However, Zuckerberg did not provide specific timelines or name any products. Instead, he emphasized that Meta will not be launching just one thing, but is building many different products.
AI tools for online shopping
One of the key areas Meta is focusing on is AI-powered commerce. During the call, Zuckerberg said: "This also has implications for commerce. New agentic shopping tools will enable people to find the right set of products from businesses' catalogs."
This proposal reflects the broader industry interest in AI shopping assistants. Both Google and OpenAI have already created platforms for agent-driven transactions, with companies such as Stripe and Uber signing on as partners.
However, Meta believes its access to personal data will be uniquely valuable. "We are beginning to see the promise of AI that understands our personal context, including our history, our interests, our content, and our relationships," Zuckerberg said. "Much of what makes agents valuable is the unique context they can see, and we believe Meta will be able to provide a uniquely personal experience."
In December, Meta acquired universal agent developer Manus, which provides similar technology for AI assistants. At the time, Meta said it would "continue to operate and sell the Manus service while also integrating it into our products."
Investment in Scale AI and the new Avocado model
One of Zuckerberg's biggest moves last year was a $14.3 billion investment (about CZK 325 billion) in Scale AI, which brought founder and CEO Alexandr Wang and some of his top engineers and researchers to Meta. Wang now leads the Meta TBD AI unit, which is testing a new advanced model code-named Avocado, intended to succeed the company's Llama model family.
"I expect our first models to be good, but more importantly, they will demonstrate the rapid trajectory we are on," Zuckerberg said. "And then I expect us to continue pushing the boundaries throughout the year as we continue releasing new models."
When asked why Meta needs to develop its own powerful foundational AI model, Zuckerberg replied that it is important because Meta is a "deep technology company." Meta cannot afford to be "constrained by what others in the ecosystem build or allow us to build," he said, adding that controlling the model allows you to help "shape the future of these products."
Long-term vision through 2028
Although the planned spending for 2026 is significant, it still falls short of the projected $600 billion (about CZK 13.6 trillion) that Zuckerberg reportedly plans to spend on Meta's infrastructure by 2028. Meta has previously faced criticism from investors for failing to clearly explain how its massive AI investments will translate into the company's financial results. However, Zuckerberg made it clear that the AI lab's work will soon reach the public. "This will be a big year for delivering personal superintelligence, accelerating our business, building infrastructure for the future, and shaping how our company will operate going forward," he told investors.
While Meta is investing heavily in AI, online advertising still accounts for the vast majority of the company's revenue. As long as this business continues to dominate on mobile devices, exceed expectations, and generate billions of dollars in cash each quarter, Zuckerberg will likely be given enough room to pursue his AI ambitions. Investors who previously expressed concerns about Meta's AI spending took note of the core business's strong results this time and gave Zuckerberg the confidence to continue pursuing his long-term vision.
Sources: cnbc.com and coaio.com
