That is, if it weren’t for the layoffs, the lawsuits and the galactic-level AI operating costs. Ad revenue across Meta’s family of apps was up 27% year over year and accounted for $59.4 billion of the quarterly haul. However, the starkest year-over-year increase came in the form of Meta’s expenses, which were up 55% for a total of $42 billion. Right on target (almost)Meta’s hiring of high-price AI talent may also be the reason that Meta’s advertising business saw so much growth in recent months. And Meta’s ads better be top tier, because users are going to start seeing them everywhere.