Meta shares drop after warning of weak revenue growth, higher AI expenses

Meta Platforms on Wednesday forecast that second-quarter revenue could come in below market expectations, signaling a possible reality check around hopes for how much new AI tools may boost the company’s business.Meta’s shares dropped about 10% in extended trade following the report, evaporating $125 billion worth of stock market value.The Facebook and Instagram parent expects April-June revenue in the range of $36.5 billion-$39 billion, with a midpoint of $37.8 billion, compared with analysts’ estimates of $38.3 billion, according to LSEG data.Meta also raised its forecast for expenses this year to support its investments in new AI products and the computing infrastructure needed to support them.The company expects 2024 capital expenditure to fall within a range of $30 billion to $40 billion, up from its earlier forecast of $35 billion to $37 billion.It also raised its total expense forecast to $96 billion-$99 billion, up from $94 billion to $99 billion.The results appeared to temper expectations after a series of smash-hit quarters for Meta, culminating in the biggest one-day gain in market capitalization in Wall Street history after its last quarterly report, when it posted robust results and announced a first-ever dividend.The social media giant has been updating its ad-buying products with AI tools and short video formats to boost revenue growth, while also introducing new AI features like a chat assistant to drive engagement on its social media properties.It announced last week that it is giving its Meta AI assistant more prominent billing across its suite of apps, meaning it will start to see how popular the product is with users in the second quarter.The company also benefits from regulatory pressures bearing down on its Chinese-owned short video competitor TikTok, which is facing the threat of a US ban.Meta posted first-quarter revenue of $36.5 billion, roughly in line with expectations of $36.2 billion, according to LSEG data.Meta’s dai...