Mark Zuckerberg testifies YouTube screenshot
Another corporate titan has caved to Donald Trump since he won reelection in November. In a stunning legal resolution, Meta has agreed to a staggering $25 million settlement to resolve a high-profile lawsuit filed in 2021 by former President Donald Trump. The lawsuit, which stemmed from Trump’s controversial suspension from Facebook and Instagram following the tumultuous events of the January 6 Capitol riots, marked a fierce battle over free speech, corporate power, and political influence. This settlement underscores the enduring tensions between tech giants and political figures, bringing a dramatic chapter in digital censorship and governance to a costly conclusion.
Approximately $22 million of the settlement will be allocated to funding former President Trump’s presidential library, while the remaining $3 million will cover his legal expenses and compensate other plaintiffs involved in the lawsuit. Notably, Meta has not admitted to any wrongdoing as part of the agreement, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
In other Meta news, the company reported that it expects first quarter 2025 total revenue to be in the range of $39.5-41.8 billion. This reflects 8-15% year-over-year growth, or 11-18% growth on a constant currency basis as our guidance assumes foreign currency is an approximately 3% headwind to year-over-year total revenue growth, based on current exchange rates, said Meta. This also reflects the effect of lapping leap day in the first quarter of 2024.
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“While we are not providing a full year 2025 revenue outlook, we expect the investments we are making in our core business this year will give us an opportunity to continue delivering strong revenue growth throughout 2025,” said Meta.
Meta also expects full year 2025 total expenses to be in the range of $114-119 billion.
“We expect the single largest driver of expense growth in 2025 to be infrastructure costs, driven by higher operating expenses and depreciation,” said Meta. “We expect employee compensation to be the second-largest factor as we add technical talent in the priority areas of infrastructure, monetization, Reality Labs, generative artificial intelligence (AI), as well as regulation and compliance.”
Meta anticipates its full year 2025 capital expenditures will be in the range of $60-65 billion, and that capital expenditures growth in 2025 will be driven by increased investment to support both our generative AI efforts and core business. The majority of Meta’s capital expenditures in 2025 will continue to be directed to our core business.
