Meta Platforms Inc. reported a strong fourth-quarter performance, surpassing Wall Street's expectations with a revenue of $48.39 billion and earnings per share of $8.02 before certain costs. The company's net income rose 49% year-over-year to $20.8 billion. Despite a slightly lower revenue forecast for the current quarter, ranging between $39.5 billion and $41.8 billion, CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressed optimism about the company's artificial intelligence initiatives. Meta AI, the company's chatbot, now has over 700 million monthly active users, with expectations to reach more than a billion by the end of the year. Zuckerberg also addressed concerns about the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, emphasizing Meta's commitment to open-source AI models. The company plans to spend between $60 billion and $65 billion in capital expenditure in 2025, primarily on AI infrastructure, with total expenses projected to be between $114 billion and $119 billion. Meta's daily active users across its platforms reached 3.35 billion, and the company's operating expenses for the quarter were $25 billion. The company's headcount rose to 74,000 employees. Despite significant investments in AI and the metaverse, with Reality Labs reporting an operating loss of over $5 billion, Zuckerberg remains confident in the long-term trajectory of these initiatives.