Meta's Billions in AI Investment: Will Zuckerberg's Gamble Pay Off, or Repeat Past Failures?

Andrew Hutchinson of Social Media Today argues that while Meta has committed enormous resources to becoming an AI leader, the company's track record suggests cause for skepticism. Hutchinson notes that Meta's major internally developed innovations—including the metaverse, Portal, and cryptocurrency ventures—have mostly failed, while its successes (WhatsApp, Instagram, Reels) came through acquisition or copying competitors. The piece points to a National Bureau of Economic Research study showing that executives have seen limited operational impact from AI adoption, and calculates that even with optimistic revenue projections, Meta would need over a decade to break even on its AI spending, making the bet riskier than the metaverse investment it recently abandoned.