Meta's ads unit will only recover if it continues to innovate so it doesn't need to track user data to sell ads.
In 2021, Apple changed its iOS operating system to limit the abilities of apps to track user behavior.
Apple CEO Tim Cook, for his part, has criticized Facebook's business model several times over the years, with Apple going so far as to declare privacy a "human right."
It's clear from Meta's most recent earnings report, and its drive for efficiency and cost-cutting, that this cold war with Apple is taking its toll on the bottom line.
"It's forced Meta to move so quickly to building the workarounds, not just to accommodate Apple's changes, but really where it sees the state of digital advertising data use going," Shmulik said.