According to Business Insider, Meta Platforms stock jumped 9% on Thursday, erasing losses from the previous week after reporting Q4 2025 earnings. The company posted revenue of $59.9 billion, beating the $58.4 billion forecast, and earnings per share of $8.88, well above the $8.16 consensus. Crucially, Meta revealed it plans to spend between $115 billion and $135 billion on AI in the coming year, a huge jump from the $72.22 billion spent in 2025. This massive capex plan is above Wall Street’s expectations for 2026. CFO Susan Li stated the AI investments would be financed with cash generated from operations, not debt. The immediate reaction was positive, with the stock surge showing investors are giving the spending plan a green light.
The Cash Is The Key
Here’s the thing: Wall Street hates unchecked spending. They balked at Meta’s last big capex forecast. So why the change of heart now? It all comes down to that advertising revenue number. It wasn’t just a beat; it was a blowout. That $59.9 billion in revenue tells a simple story: the core business is an absolute cash machine, and it’s running hotter than anyone predicted. When Susan Li says they’ll fund AI with cash, she’s basically telling investors, “Don’t worry, we won’t have to borrow a dime for this. The ads are paying for it all.” And that’s a message the market can get behind. It transforms the narrative from “reckless spending” to “prudent reinvestment of profits.”
A Tangible AI Payoff
But there’s another layer here. It’s not just that they can afford to spend. It’s that they’re already showing that the spending works. Dan Ives from Wedbush pointed out that AI in their ad systems and recommendation engines is already driving benefits. That’s critical. Investors aren’t being asked to fund a decade-long science project with no return in sight. They’re being shown that AI investments are already improving the profitability of the existing golden goose. So this new $135 billion ceiling isn’t a leap into the void. It’s a doubling down on a strategy that’s proving it can pay for itself. That’s a much easier pill to swallow.
The Hyperscaler Race Heats Up
This earnings report is a major signal flare in the broader AI infrastructure war. Remember, last year ended with real anxiety about the soaring capital expenditures from all the hyperscalers. Meta just came out and said, essentially, “The anxiety is over. For us, at least.” They’ve demonstrated the model: use a dominant, cash-printing core business (ads) to bankroll an all-out assault on the next frontier (AI). This puts immense pressure on competitors who don’t have that same level of financial insulation. Can everyone else keep up without a Meta-sized ad business to backstop them? Probably not. So what we’re seeing isn’t just a stock pop. It’s the market placing a bet on which company has the most sustainable engine to win the long-term AI race. And right now, Meta’s engine is looking pretty robust.
