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Meta

Meta owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger. IDC's data puts it first in headsets and smart glasses. Nearly all its revenue comes from advertising. In 2026 its camera glasses drew privacy objections in Europe.

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What Meta does

Meta Platforms owns Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads. Its annual report for 2025 says it was incorporated in July 2004 and went public in May 2012. Its headquarters are in Menlo Park, California. Mark Zuckerberg is its founder and chief executive. The company took the name Meta on October 28, 2021. It had been called Facebook.

Meta reports two segments. Family of Apps holds the social and messaging apps. Reality Labs holds virtual reality headsets and AI glasses.

Advertising pays for nearly all of it. The annual report gives these figures for 2025:

  • Total revenue was $200.97 billion.
  • Advertising brought in about $196.2 billion of that.
  • Reality Labs had revenue of $2.21 billion and an operating loss of $19.19 billion.

Meta reported 3.60 billion daily active people on average for June 2026. Its annual report defines a daily active person as a registered, logged-in user who visits at least one of Facebook, Instagram, Messenger or WhatsApp on a given day. The report calls the figure an estimate.

Why it matters for wearables and AI

Meta leads the market for headsets and smart glasses in IDC's data. The research firm estimated that Meta held 68.7% of the market for XR (extended reality) headsets and glasses in the second quarter of 2026. Its glasses come from a partnership with EssilorLuxottica, the owner of Ray-Ban. The annual report says Meta expects about 70% of Reality Labs operating expenses in 2026 to go to wearables.

Meta also builds AI models and the data centers that run them. In July 2026 it said it expected capital spending of $130 billion to $145 billion for the year. That month it said it was expanding its data center in Richland Parish, Louisiana to 5 gigawatts of computing capacity. In September it introduced Muse, a personal AI agent. It said Muse was rolling out in the United States.

The privacy backlash over camera glasses

Smart glasses with cameras, Meta's among them, drew growing objections in 2026.

  • September 29: The Dutch consumer group Consumentenbond gave Meta two weeks to change the glasses. It said it would go to court otherwise.
  • October 2: The eyewear chain Hans Anders said it had suspended sales of Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses in the Netherlands and Belgium, Reuters reported.
  • October 5: Norway's government said it plans to propose a temporary ban on AI glasses in selected places, Reuters reported. It was a plan at that stage, not a law.

Meta's answer rests on a warning light. A Meta spokesperson said every pair with a camera has a bright light that blinks during a photo or video, Reuters reported. The spokesperson said the light cannot be turned off. The camera is disabled if someone covers or tampers with the light, the spokesperson said. Consumentenbond says bystanders cannot see the light well enough and that it can be covered.

What to watch

  • Ray-Ban Meta Audio. Meta announced the model on September 23, 2026 and called it its first audio glasses. It said they would ship on October 13.
  • Norway's bill. The government said on October 5, 2026 that it would present a bill to parliament as soon as possible.
  • The Dutch deadline. Consumentenbond announced its two-week deadline on September 29, 2026.
  • Spending. Meta said in July 2026 that it expects 2026 operating income above its 2025 level.

Meta timeline

  1. Dutch eyewear chain Hans Anders says it has suspended sales of Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses in the Netherlands and Belgium, Reuters reports.

    Source: Reuters (via Deccan Chronicle)

  2. Dutch consumer group Consumentenbond gives Meta two weeks to change its camera glasses and says it will go to court if Meta does not.

    Source: Consumentenbond

  3. Meta announces Ray-Ban Meta Audio, which it calls its first audio glasses, and says its Muse agent is coming to its AI glasses.

    Source: Meta

  4. Meta introduces Muse, a personal AI agent, and says it is rolling out in the United States on iOS, Android and muse.ai.

    Source: Meta

  5. Meta reports second-quarter revenue of $60.80 billion and expects 2026 capital spending of $130 billion to $145 billion.

    Source: Meta Platforms (filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission)

  6. Meta says it is expanding its Richland Parish, Louisiana data center to 5 gigawatts of computing capacity.

    Source: Meta

  7. Meta unveils Meta Ray-Ban Display, AI glasses with a display in the lens and a wristband controller, starting at $799.

    Source: Meta

  8. The Facebook company takes the name Meta and says it will report two segments, Family of Apps and Reality Labs.

    Source: Meta

Sources

  1. Meta Platforms, Inc. Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, Meta Platforms (filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission)
  2. Meta Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results, Meta Platforms (filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission)
  3. Introducing Meta: A Social Technology Company, Meta
  4. Meta Ray-Ban Display: AI Glasses With an EMG Wristband, Meta
  5. Introducing Ray-Ban Meta Audio and More AI Glasses Styles, Meta
  6. Introducing Muse: The World’s First Personal AI Agent Built for Everyone, Meta
  7. Teachers and Local Businesses Win as Meta Expands Louisiana Data Center, Meta
  8. Smart Glasses Growth Cools to 35% as Meta Doubles Down on Distribution, IDC
  9. Dutch Eyewear Chain Hans Anders Halts Sale Of Meta Glasses, Citing Privacy Concerns, Reuters (via Deccan Chronicle)
  10. Consumentenbond eist dat Meta camerabril aanpast, Consumentenbond
  11. Norway to propose temporary ban on AI glasses in some public places, Reuters (via Internazionale)

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