Technologies

Investors Favor Alphabet’s AI Spending Over Meta’s Despite Both Beating Earnings Expectations

Despite both Meta and Alphabet surpassing earnings expectations and raising AI spending forecasts, investors reacted differently, with Alphabet’s stock rising 7% while Meta’s fell 7%, highlighting the market’s preference for companies with cloud infrastructure that can monetize AI investments.

On Wednesday, both Meta and Alphabet surpassed analyst expectations in their quarterly earnings, marking their most robust growth in several years. The companies also raised their annual capital expenditure projections, signaling a continued commitment to investing heavily in artificial intelligence infrastructure.

However, Wall Street responded differently to the two tech giants. Alphabet’s stock surged 7% in after-hours trading, whereas Meta’s shares dropped by 7%.

This divergence continues a pattern that has weighed on Meta during much of the generative AI expansion. Unlike Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon, which operate vast cloud infrastructure businesses that convert AI investments into revenue, Meta lacks such a division.

Consequently, convincing investors of the return on AI spending is more challenging for Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, as the benefits must primarily manifest through higher ad revenue and improved profitability.

All four major tech firms released their quarterly results on Wednesday. While Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon reported cloud divisions that outperformed expectations, Meta was the only one among them to see its stock decline.

Leading up to the earnings releases, Alphabet’s stock had climbed 118% over the past year, significantly outpacing Meta’s 21% gain. Amazon rose 40%, and Microsoft increased by approximately 8%.

«Google is outperforming its peers which is well reflected in the current valuation,» analysts at D.A. Davidson wrote in a report after the results, maintaining their neutral rating.

The capital expenditure figures across the board are staggering and continue to grow, partly because companies are spending more on memory due to a global shortage driven by surging AI demand.

Alphabet updated its 2026 capex guidance range to $180 billion to $190 billion, up from its previous estimate of $175 billion to $185 billion. CFO Anat Ashkenazi said the company’s 2027 capex is expected to «significantly increase» from this year’s figure.

The spending forecast was coupled with revenue growth of 20%, the fastest for any quarter since 2022. Cloud revenue soared 63%, and Alphabet said it has a backlog of $460 billion, nearly double where it was last quarter, because of demand for AI infrastructure.

Defending the Spending

Meta upped its capex guidance for the year to between $125 billion and $145 billion, from a prior range of $115 billion to $135 billion, a move the company said, «reflects our expectations for higher component pricing this year and, to a lesser extent, additional data center costs to support future year capacity.»

Similar to when Meta raised its capex forecast in October, Zuckerberg spent time on the earnings call defending the company’s hefty AI spending, pitching it as necessary for future growth while bolstering the core online ad business.

«The trend over the last few years seems clear, that we are seeing an increasing return on the amount that we can improve engagement for people and value for advertisers,» Zuckerberg said. «This encourages us to continue investing heavily in what we expect will provide increasing value over the coming years as well.»

On the revenue side, growth is more impressive than at Google. Sales jumped 33% from a year earlier, marking the strongest period for expansion since 2021.

Zuckerberg said the company is «very focused on increasing the efficiency of our investments,» and is developing custom silicon with Broadcom while investing in a «significant amount of AMD chips to complement the new Nvidia systems that we’re rolling out as well.»

Meta CFO Susan Li told analysts that the company needs to spend big on AI in order to «meet our infrastructure needs and ensure we maximize our strategic flexibility over the coming years.» The company also has to ensure it has enough computing resources to train more AI models, build more products and help its AI agent push for consumers and businesses worldwide, Li said.

She added that Meta’s recent «multi-year cloud deals and our infrastructure purchase agreements» contributed to a $107 billion jump in contractual commitments during the quarter.

Still, investors are waiting to see new revenue streams come to fruition after Zuckerberg spent the past 10 months overhauling his company’s AI strategy and bringing in high-priced talent. Earlier this month, Meta debuted Muse Spark as its first proprietary foundation model.

Alphabet, meanwhile, has been cashing in on its bets, including on homegrown chips called tensor processing units (TPUs), which are increasingly competing with Nvidia’s graphics processing units (GPUs).

CEO Sundar Pichai addressed the momentum in the chip side of the business several times on Wednesday’s call.

«There’s tremendous demand for both AI solutions as well as AI infrastructure, including massive interest in our GPU offerings, as well as TPUs,» he said.

WATCH: Meta shares sliding

Technologies

Verum Messenger Launches an AI Mini-Series

Verum Messenger has unveiled a new project — a mini-series created using Verum AI. The story consists of 7 episodes and will be released on the messenger’s social media channels.

The plot revolves around a global corporation seeking to take control of digital communications and a group of heroes who use Verum Messenger as a tool of resistance. Beyond the story itself, the series highlights the app’s key features, technologies, and advantages.

Combining entertainment with a showcase of the Verum ecosystem, the project presents a dynamic digital series designed for the modern era.

The first episode premieres today, with the remaining episodes to be released over time.

Stay tuned for more.

Watch on YouTube
Watch on Instagram

Technologies

Verum Finance: Earn While You Communicate — The Super App That Pays You

Verum has officially launched Verum Finance, an innovative financial application that transforms a private messenger into a true financial super app. News of the launch was also featured on the respected platform Dealroom.co.

Verum Finance can now be used both within Verum Messenger and as a standalone application for iPhone and iPad. When users sign in to Verum Finance with their Verum Messenger account, all balances, settings, and account data are automatically synchronized for maximum convenience.

Users can now do more than communicate securely and protect their data — they can also generate passive income directly within the ecosystem.

What Verum Finance Offers

• Top up your balance with a bank card, Apple Pay, or USDT
• Send money instantly anywhere in the world
• Issue and manage debit cards (virtual and physical)
• Full Apple Pay support
• Exchange assets and withdraw funds quickly

One of the most unique features is the built-in cryptocurrency mining system inside Verum Messenger.

The application utilizes your device’s resources and allows you to earn cryptocurrency in the background — passively, while chatting, traveling, or simply using the messenger.

Maximum Privacy + Real Freedom

• Registration without a phone number, email address, or passport
• End-to-end encryption and full control over your data
• Lifetime free VPN
• eSIM connectivity in more than 150 countries
• Reliable offline communication mode
• Support for 12+ languages for users worldwide

Everything is available in one place: secure communication, financial tools, earning opportunities, and privacy protection.

Users can access the full experience directly within Verum Messenger or switch to the dedicated Verum Finance app for iOS. All data is synchronized automatically between the two applications.

Why Download Verum Today

While many messaging platforms collect user data and expose users to restrictions, Verum offers greater independence and the opportunity to earn.

With a one-time purchase of the feature package, users receive lifetime access to privacy tools, VPN, eSIM services, cryptocurrency mining, and financial features.

This is more than just a messenger.

It is your personal tool for financial and digital freedom.

Download Verum Finance and Verum Messenger today — start communicating securely and begin earning tomorrow.

Download Links:

→ App Store (iPhone / iPad): Verum Finance
→ App Store (Verum Messenger): Verum Messenger

Technologies

Verum Finance: A Super App for Private Finance Integrated Into a Messenger

Verum Finance has announced the launch of a new financial application that allows users to manage their money directly within the secure Verum Messenger ecosystem.

The project has already attracted attention from major media outlets. A dedicated feature was published by Forbes Türkiye, while one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, MEXC, covered the launch. Yahoo Finance had previously reported on the evolution of Verum Messenger into a comprehensive financial ecosystem.

What Verum Finance Offers

Verum Finance transforms a messenger into a complete financial platform. Users can:

• Manage their balance and top up using bank cards or USDT
• Send money instantly to other Verum users
• Issue and use debit cards, including Apple Pay support
• Exchange assets and withdraw funds
• Access all these services without installing separate banking applications

A strong emphasis is placed on privacy. The platform offers registration without a phone number or email address, end-to-end encryption, and full user control over personal data.

Recognition from Forbes Türkiye

In a dedicated article, Forbes Türkiye highlighted Verum Finance as a notable example of modern privacy-driven fintech. The publication emphasized the growing trend of financial services moving from standalone banking applications into unified messaging ecosystems — a model that has proven successful in Asia through platforms such as WeChat and Alipay and is now expanding globally.

Support from the Crypto Community

Alongside the Forbes Türkiye coverage, news about the launch of Verum Finance was also featured by MEXC, one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges. This reflects growing interest in the project from both traditional business media and the cryptocurrency community.

A Strategic Vision

“We are building more than a payments application and more than a messenger. Verum is a unified secure ecosystem where communication, finance, and privacy tools work together,” the company stated.

Verum Finance is now available for iPhone and iPad users. The application complements Verum Messenger, which offers anonymous chats, voice and video calls, VPN services, eSIM connectivity, and other tools designed to enhance digital freedom.

Verum Finance: https://finance.verum.im

Verum Messenger: https://verum.im