Despite quarterly revenue over the $ 10 billion, Facebook lost its share yesterday after the market, reversing its turn compared to an initial rally fueled by profitable salaries of the 79% and an increased revenue of the annual 47%.
Investors have punished the headline of the social network which, first through its CEO Mark Zuckerberg and then its CFO David Wehner, has raised an alarm about an explosion in the costs necessary to counter fake news and propaganda attempts such as those they have. seen arriving on the platform ads related to Russia.
“I am troubled by the fact that the Russians have tried to use our tools to sow mistrust”, said the CEO opening the call with analysts: “What they did is wrong and we do not accept it. The costs dedicated to the security of the platform will add to the investments needed to push video content and artificial intelligence. All this will inevitably weigh on the profitability of the group. On the day Facebook, Twitter and Google came to Congress to testify as part of the Russiagate - the investigation into Moscow's interference in the November 2016 presidential election - Zuckerberg said in a note commenting on the accounts that "the our community continues to grow and our businesses continue to do well ”. The Facebook founder continued: “None of this matters if our services are used in a way that doesn't bring people closer to each other. We are serious about preventing abuse on our platforms. We are investing so much in safety that this will have an impact on our profitability ”. For him, “protecting our community is more important than maximizing our profits.