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☆ Senior Meta ads exec departs amid efficiency drive
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Katie Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"I made this decision slowly (over the last 2+ years) and then all of a sudden," he wrote. A Meta spokesperson confirmed Levy's departure and said business messaging would remain a strategic priority and area of investment for the company this year. The business messaging project he heads has been flagged by Zuckerberg for growth potential, although he was replaced last year as overall head of ad and business products. Previously, Levy ran Meta's ads and business products division, now called Monetization. Another ads VP on the sales side, Michelle Klein, also announced this week that she was leaving.

☆ For investors looking for solid ground in an uncertain market, balance sheet is king
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Amid ongoing market volatility and renewed fears about the health of the banking sector, investors and analysts are increasingly targeting the stocks of companies with stellar balance sheets. Note: The Altman Z-score is derived from a model initially developed in the 1960s by New York University professor Edward Altman as a way to predict bankruptcies. We used an Altman Z-score of 5 to focus our list on the cream of the crop. Tier 1 Capital ratios are generally a better metric for monitoring the balance sheets of big banks. But the market may give heightened attention to companies with strong balance sheets in times of elevated economic uncertainty.

The NYSE FANG+ index is headed for its best week in one year. Semiconductor maker AMD is up 17.8% week to date, headed for its best week since July 24, 2020, when AMD jumped 26.1%. Facebook-parent Meta advanced 12.3% this week, on pace for its best week since Feb. 3, when the social media stock gained 22.9%. AMD 5D mountain AMD shares 5-day Microsoft shares are 11.4% higher week to date, headed for its best week since Nov 11, 2022 when the Xbox maker jumped 11.6%. Amazon shares are up 10% this week, headed for its best week since Jan. 13, when AMZN soared 14%.

☆ Meta has a pay gap problem, with women abroad getting lower pay and smaller bonuses than men
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The company still pays women abroad less than men and gives them much smaller bonuses. Globally, the number of women working for Meta has increased just 1% since 2018. In 2022, women working across Meta in Ireland were paid 15.7% less on average than men at the company. In the reports showing an ongoing pay gap, Meta said its problem of pay inequity comes down to fewer women in technological roles. In Ireland, while the company said its workforce is almost half men and women, men hold more high-level and tech-focused jobs, according to the report.

☆ Instagram's top exec says paid blue-check verification could 'help small creators get a leg up,' as he defends Meta Verified
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Meta is testing a monthly paid subscription called Meta Verified on Facebook and Instagram. Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri answered questions about the test and its impact on creators. Meta Verified, a paid subscription that grants users a blue check and streamlined customer service, is already stirring up controversy among creators. "And so we're just testing to see if it is compelling to small creators because we want to help small creators get a leg up." Here were the 3 main takeaways from Mosseri's answers to users' questions about Meta Verified:

☆ Amazon is the latest threat to Facebook as ad targeting suffers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

"So many people start their shopping on Amazon," Hassett said in an interview. People take selfies in front of the logo of Facebook parent company Meta on November 9, 2022 in Menlo Park, California. Liu Guanguan | China News Service | Getty ImagesFor Loftie, Amazon and Google provide better value because a shopper is showing intent by searching for a particular item. "In the near term, we expect Meta ad share to decline further in '23 given macro headwinds and the pivot to Reels," they wrote. Rachel Tipograph, CEO of marketing technology firm MikMak, said there are other unforeseen costs tied to Amazon advertising.

Meta and Dfinity asked the court Monday to dismiss the case with prejudice, which means it cannot be revived. Dfinity sued Meta last year, alleging the logo Meta adopted after changing its name from Facebook would cause confusion with Dfinity's infinity-symbol trademarks. Meta is still facing trademark lawsuits from virtual-reality company MetaX and investment firm Metacapital over its name change. The case is Dfinity Foundation v. Meta Platforms Inc, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, No. For Dfinity: Dennis Ellis, Keith Wesley and Katherine Murray of Ellis George Cipollone O'Brien AnnagueyFor Meta: Bobby Ghajar and Angela Dunning of CooleyRead more:Meta hit with trademark lawsuit over new infinity-symbol logoMeta defeats trademark lawsuit over infinity-symbol logoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Big Tech got crushed by falling ad prices, and the damage could last well into 2023. Here's exactly how much ads cost on Google, Meta, Amazon, YouTube, TikTok and Snap.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Meta, Google, and Snap reported declines in ad sales, or flat ad revenue, during the fourth quarter. Out of the four big ad-supported tech companies — Google, Meta, Amazon, and Snap — only Amazon reported that its ad business grew year-over-year in the fourth quarter. Meta's ad prices have declined as the company rebuilds its ad business with artificial intelligence after getting hit by Apple's app-tracking privacy crackdown. While CPMs fell year-over-year during the fourth quarter, ad prices were 7.2% higher in the fourth quarter compared to the third quarter, according to Northbeam. The average return on Meta ad spend during the fourth quarter was $1.96, up from $1.30 in the first quarter of 2022.

☆ Meta's top ads boss tells Insider how artificial intelligence is saving its ad business and what's the next big opportunity for Reels
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Meta's ad chief Marne Levine told Insider that AI will play a bigger role boosting advertisers' creative. Meta is also exploring new ways to make money from short-form video Reels. Meta's rebuilt ad business has seen early success after it took a $10 billion hit last year thanks to Apple's privacy update. "There is a general feeling of uncertainty because the context is changing week-to-week," Marne Levine, chief business officer for Meta, told Insider. While Meta advertisers might be pulling back because of the economy, Meta still has an advantage over other digital ad platforms.

[1/2] A logo of Meta Platforms Inc. is seen at its booth, at the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups, at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France June 17, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit TessierJan 25 (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Donald Trump's potential return to Meta Platform's (META.O) Facebook and Instagram is unlikely to change how advertisers spend money with the world's second-largest digital ad company, ad agency executives said. In a blog post on Wednesday announcing Trump's reinstatement, Meta said he will face "heightened penalties for repeat offenses." Trump's reinstatement, however, reinforces long-standing concerns about how social media platforms can ensure that ads don't appear next to content that marketers consider unsuitable, D'Altorio said. Ad spending on Twitter slumped in the last two months of 2022, according to Standard Media Index, which measures ad spending based on data from ad agencies.

☆ Meta's ad business is making a comeback thanks to its AI-powered improvements — but core Facebook is still struggling to get spend
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Lauren Johnson | Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

They're now seeing improvements in performance, and are planning to devote bigger budgets to the platform this year. Those capabilities are finally showing up in Meta's ad offering. Another example is a recently-released feature called Advantage+ that uses Meta's AI to find relevant audiences for ads. Analysts at Arete research forecast a 6% decline in Facebook's annual ad revenue to $72.4 billion this year, though they also expect Instagram ad revenue will grow by 2% to $36 billion. Besides TikTok, Meta is now going head-to-head with Apple, and a host of new retail media and streaming TV ad businesses.

☆ Some DTC brands moved up to 30% of their holiday ad spend from Meta to Amazon
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

DTC brands' ad spend is moving from Meta to Amazon with new urgency. That trouble has led to more ad budgets going to Amazon during the holiday season, according to direct-to-consumer brands and ad agencies. Because Meta ads haven't been able to drive website sales, DTC brands are now selling on Amazon. Naim added that his DTC brands have moved between 20% to 30% of ad spend from Facebook and Google into Amazon during the fourth quarter. Amazon has massive limitations for DTC brandsWhile Amazon can generate sales for DTC brands, it also has disadvantages.

☆ Irish privacy regulator fines Facebook 265 mln euros
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Padraic Halpin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBLIN, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Ireland's data privacy regulator imposed a 265 million euro ($277 million) fine on social media giant Facebook on Monday, bringing the total it has fined parent group Meta (META.O) to almost 1 billion euros. It is Meta's lead privacy regulator within the European Union, and has 13 more inquiries into the social media group outstanding. In September the watchdog hit its Instagram subsidiary with a record fine of 405 million euros, which Meta plans to appeal. The DPC said mitigating factors in Monday's decision - which had been approved by all other relevant EU regulators - included the actions Facebook had taken. "We'll keep going until the behaviour does change," Ireland's Data Privacy Commissioner (DPC) Helen Dixon told Irish national broadcaster RTE on Monday.

☆ Elon Musk is threatening to 'thermonuclear name and shame' advertisers that press pause on Twitter. It's a dumb thing to do to your biggest customers.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Jake Swearingen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

After advertisers paused spending, Musk went on the offensive, tweeting that advertisers were causing a "massive drop in revenue," He continued: "Extremely messed up! Per a Standard Media Index report, total advertising spending was down by 5% year-over-year in September. Other advertising giants like YouTube and Meta reported year-over-year declines in advertising revenue, with YouTube down by 2% and Meta down by 4%. Brand advertising relies highly on "brand safe" outlets where ads won't appear near objectionable content like violence, pornography, or hate speech. To replace the $40 million in lost monthly revenue, Twitter would need to sign up a little over 5 million Twitter Blue accounts paying $8 a month in its first month.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves in the premarket: BioNTech, Meta, Apple, Ouster and more
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Peter Schacknow | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.b) – Berkshire Hathaway gained 1.5% in premarket trading after Warren Buffett's firm reported better-than-expected earnings, with revenue also topping Street forecasts. Meta Platforms (META) – Meta added 2.6% in the premarket after The Wall Street Journal reported that the Facebook parent was preparing to announce large-scale layoffs this week. Apple (AAPL) – Apple shares slid 1.8% in the premarket after it said Covid-19 restrictions are hindering iPhone production at the Foxconn factory in China. Yamana Gold (AUY) – Yamana Gold lost 2.7% in the premarket after Gold Fields (GFI) said it would not change the terms of its takeover deal with Yamana. Ryanair (RYAAY) – The airline's stock gained 6.2% in premarket trading after it reported its largest-ever profit for the first half of the year.

☆ Meta adds new tools to help content creators make money on Instagram
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 2 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms (META.O) on Wednesday said it was adding a host of new features to Instagram, including a tool to trade digital collectibles, in a move that will help content creators monetize their presence on the social media platform. Users can soon support creators by buying their non-fungible tokens (NFTs) directly within Instagram, the company said. The new features will be tested with a small group of creators in the United States, the company said, and added that it plans to expand to more countries soon. In tandem with this push, Meta said it was expanding access to subscriptions on Instagram to all eligible creators in the United States to help them earn a more predictable income on the photo-sharing app. It is also introducing gifts on Instagram, starting with Reels, so creators have a new way to earn money from their fan base.

☆ Tech Boom Ends as Companies From Amazon to Meta Adjust to Turbulent Times
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Meghan Bobrowsky | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Big tech companies, including Meta Platforms, are sharpening their control over costs and monitoring head count as the pandemic gains fade. A week of Big Tech earnings has been a rout for investors, as recession fears and the strong dollar signal demand weakness is broadening and hitting businesses that were thought to be more resilient. And these industry giants warn more pain is ahead.

☆ Morning Bid: Meta averse, ECB decides and CS slides
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets from Mike Dolan. Meta added a deep pothole to an already bumpy U.S. earnings season - another obstacle to a market pumped-up by bets of some central bank relief on the horizon as G7 economies slow. read moreWith Apple (AAPL.O) and Amazon reporting later on Thursday, sentiment toward tech giants remains on edge. But after two-week, trough-to-peak bounce of almost 10%, global stock indices (.MIWD00000PUS) struggled to make much headway for the second session on Thursday. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

BENGALURU/STOCKHOLM, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Messaging app WhatsApp was starting to come back online at 0900 GMT and the company said the issue has been fixed after users across the world reported problems earlier on Tuesday. At around 0750 GMT, outage reporting site Downdetector had shown over 68,000 users had reported problems with the app in the United Kingdom. We have fixed the issue and apologise for any inconvenience," a spokesperson for WhatsApp parent company Meta Platforms (META.O) said. The company had not sent any fresh updates as users in Asia, India and the United Kingdom started seeing some connections come back online. In the past, rival apps like Telegram, Snap or even Meta's Instagram have seen temporary spikes in users when WhatsApp has been down.

☆ Meta says it will sell Giphy to comply with UK breakup order
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington CNN Business —Facebook-parent Meta plans to sell off Giphy, an online search tool for animated images, after the UK government said it would force the tech giant to unwind its acquisition of the service. For years, critics have accused the tech industry’s biggest players of seeking out “killer acquisitions” of smaller companies. In the United States, the alleged “buy-or-bury” strategy is at the center of a federal lawsuit aimed at forcing Meta to spin off WhatsApp and Instagram. The breakup attempt by the Federal Trade Commission could go to trial in 2024. The FTC has also sued to block Meta’s acquisition of a virtual reality technology company known as Within Unlimited, arguing that the deal could give Meta further power to establish a “virtual reality empire.”Meta is fighting both lawsuits.

☆ Facebook parent Meta admits defeat after $400 million Giphy deal is blocked by UK regulators
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Meta , the owner of Facebook, admitted defeat Tuesday after U.K. competition regulators issued a final verdict ordering the company to sell its animated image-making unit Giphy. "We will work closely with the CMA on divesting GIPHY," the Meta spokesperson told CNBC. In November, the CMA ordered Meta to divest Giphy after finding the combination of the two companies raised competition concerns. However, in June, a court largely ruled against the company's appeal, kicking the final decision over the fate of the deal back to the CMA. Meta's $400 million acquisition of Giphy was hardly one of the social media giant's biggest.

☆ Meta ratchets up Apple rivalry with ads targeting iMessage
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Meta is targeting Apple 's iMessage in a new advertisement that ratchets up the rivalry between the two companies. SMS messages are stored by wireless cellular carriers. "Our biggest competitor by far is iMessage," Zuckerberg said in a 2018 earnings call. Google wants Apple to adopt RCS, a next-generation text messaging system that replaces SMS messages with new features and improved encryption. Users who text regularly with Android users say that "green bubbles," as SMS messages appear on iPhones, is an inferior texting experience.

☆ Rohingya seek reparations from Facebook for role in massacre
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

But some very narrow minded and very nationalist types escalated hate against Rohingya on Facebook,” he said. Instead, Meta’s algorithms “proactively amplified and promoted content” on Facebook, which incited violent hatred against the Rohingya beginning as early as 2012. And they are asking Meta to pay reparations for its role in the violent repression of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, which the U.S. declared a genocide earlier this year. “These algorithms are really dangerous to our human rights. The Rohingya refugees are seeking unspecified reparations from the Menlo Park, California-based social media giant for its role in perpetuating genocide.

☆ Layoffs, lost sales, and revised business plans: How a Facebook tech glitch is wreaking havoc for advertisers around the world
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A technical glitch continues to ban Meta ad accounts at random. But three weeks ago, business ground to a halt when Color Crush Book's Facebook ad account was unexpectedly terminated. The founders of Color Crush Books said they're considering shifting from their digital-only model after experiencing Facebook ad account issues. The company's Meta ad account was reinstated on Tuesday after Insider contacted Meta. Silverbird's ad account was disabled in mid-August and Lorenzos shifted some of the budget to search and offline channels.

☆ Lindsey Graham's abortion ban bill baffles some Republicans as Democrats sharpen attacks in key midterm races
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Graham's bill has virtually no chance of passing the current Congress, where Democrats hold slim majorities in the House and Senate. Some Republicans, including GOP candidates in pivotal Senate races, have backed Graham's new proposal. But other top Republicans either refused to back Graham's bill or expressed a belief that individual states should set their own abortion laws. "With regard to abortion, Democrats are clearly focused on abortion," he added. As Graham's bill brought a renewed focus to the issue, Democrats pounced.

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