Meta Q3 profit falls to $9.86B after $18B US settlement
Meta reported a major drop in profits for Q3 2026, down to $9.86 billion, which is almost half of what investors were hoping for.
The main reason? An $18 billion legal settlement with nearly every US state, including a big $9.9 billion charge tied to it.
Meta ordered $25B to New Mexico
On top of that, Meta was ordered to pay another $25 billion to New Mexico over the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Even with all these legal bills piling up, Meta hasn't stopped pouring money into AI projects, spending $35 billion this quarter alone (a bit less than expected).
Earlier this year, they bumped up their annual spending estimate from $130 billion to $145 billion, showing they're still betting big on future growth, even when things get tough.
Meta Q3 revenue beats estimates
Despite all the financial drama, Meta's Q3 revenue actually came in higher than predicted.
The article said more ad dollars and user activity kept things moving up, but those massive legal costs are definitely weighing on overall profits right now.