Zuckerberg’s Fortune Drops $18 Billion As Wall Street Sours On Meta’s AI Spending

Jul 30, 2026 11:14 PM - 1 day ago 81

Topline

Mark Zuckerberg’s nett worthy declined by astir $18 cardinal connected Thursday arsenic Meta’s banal paced an 11-day losing streak, pinch Wall Street souring connected the Facebook parent’s plans to accelerate spending connected AI.

Shares of the Facebook genitor person plunged complete what could beryllium an 11-day losing streak.

Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Key Facts

Shares of Meta plunged 9% arsenic of Thursday afternoon, pacing what would beryllium the stock’s worst single-day nonaccomplishment this twelvemonth truthful acold and a 21.7% descent complete the past 11 trading sessions.

The latest dip successful Meta’s shares trim $17.8 cardinal from Zuckerberg’s nett worth, weighted astatine $183.3 billion, ranking him the sixth-richest personification successful the world straight up of Nvidia’s Jensen Huang ($167.2 billion) and down Michael Dell ($228.9 billion).

A diminution for Meta’s banal comes aft the patient raised its spending forecast for the twelvemonth to $137.5 cardinal while besides declining to perpetrate to an estimate for 2027.

Meta besides reported quarterly net of $6.18 per share, falling good beneath statement expert estimates of $7.18, according to FactSet, moreover arsenic gross topped projections astatine $60.8 billion.

A boost successful spending drew ire of immoderate economists: Scotiabank expert Nat Schindler trim his banal value target for Meta to $600 from $700, informing investors that until the patient tin beryllium it tin present connected AI revenue, Meta should attraction connected free rate travel durability alternatively than the size of its AI opportunity.

Wedbush Securities trimmed its value target to $595 from $671, arguing investors should scrutinize whether Meta’s spending will output returns, adding to reductions connected value targets from different firms, including Evercore ISI (down $110), Wolfe Research ($100), Goldman Sachs ($90) and Cantor Fitzgerald ($90), among others.

tangent

Microsoft’s banal soared 15% aft reporting its AI activity assistant, Microsoft 365 Copilot, now has much than 30 cardinal paid users, up from 20 cardinal successful April. The institution reiterated its spending goals for the twelvemonth and signaled a imaginable description successful fiscal 2027. Forrester expert Tracy Woo said Microsoft’s quarterly gross of $90 billion, which topped estimates of $87.6 billion, and the occurrence of its Copilot signaled the firm's information halfway buildout is “beginning to present returns.”

key background

Meta, erstwhile a powerhouse banal that seldom showed vulnerability, has dropped astir 18% this twelvemonth pursuing landmark tribunal rulings and concerns astir its AI buildout. Zuckerberg’s patient saw immoderate alleviation earlier this month, posting its champion week since 2024 during a five-session agelong ending July 10 that boosted Meta’s banal by much than 14%. That came arsenic Meta rolled retired Muse Image, a caller AI exemplary to beryllium utilized arsenic a instrumentality for creating images, contempt backlash from Hollywood unions, talent agencies and cybersecurity firms complete privateness concerns.