New York, Apr 30 (EFE).- United States technology firm Meta recognized Wednesday that “uncertainty” over the trade war launched by President Donald Trump was affecting its business, yet was optimistic about its big bet on artificial intelligence.
In a virtual conference with analysts, Meta’s chief financial officer, Susan Li said she expected higher hardware infrastructure costs in 2025, mainly due to uncertainties in the global supply chain and ongoing trade discussions.
Asked about her forecasts, Li spoke of “macroeconomic uncertainty” since Apr. 2, when Trump announced a series of tariffs, adding that the accounts for the month looked good, though it was too early to know how things would play out in the quarter.
“There’s just a lot of uncertainty around this, given the ongoing trade discussions,” said Li.
However, she added that the company is “working on our end on mitigations by optimizing our supply chain,” although she did not elaborate on how.
Meanwhile, Meta chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who rapproched Trump during the 2024 campaign, said the company is “well positioned” for this uncertainty and continues focusing on AI development projects that have already progressed in recent months.
In addition, Zuckerberg revealed that improvements to the recommendation systems of the Meta platform have resulted in users spending more time on these applications over the last six months: 7% more on Facebook, 6% more on Instagram, and 35% more on Threads.
Zuckerberg, who expressed optimism regarding content personalization on social media, predicted that after the video era, there would be a focus on interacting with video and people would spend more time watching entertainment and culture.
He also highlighted a feature that allows users to see the content their contacts have “liked,” which is at the intersection of entertainment and social connection.
On the other hand, the executive argued that Meta, whose WhatsApp app is the most used AI interface, is focused on developing this technology and expects to be able to create memories with conversations once it gets to know the user well, which will distinguish it from other competitors. EFE
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