The Key Insight
Meta’s apps aren’t just distribution. They’re AI workload. Every feed refresh, every recommendation, every message creates AI inference load. This captive demand provides something no hyperscaler has: guaranteed utilization at scale.
The Family of Apps
| App | DAU | Key AI Use |
|---|---|---|
| 2.1B | Feed recommendations, content moderation | |
| 2.0B | Reels AI, Advantage+ ads | |
| 1.0B | Business AI agents | |
| Messenger | 1.0B | Meta AI assistant |
| Threads | 275M | Content recommendations |
The Demand Equation
- Daily Active People: 3.58B
- Daily AI Workloads: ~100+ billion
- AI Inference Demand: ~350B+ daily
- Utilization: GUARANTEED
Why This Matters for Infrastructure
Hyperscalers (Google, AWS, Azure)
- Must find customers for capacity
- Utilization varies with demand
- Compete on price/features
- Demand is external (not guaranteed)
Meta (Captive Demand)
- 3.58B users generate demand daily
- Apps are AI inference machines
- Every user action = AI workload
- Demand is internal (guaranteed)
The Financial Proof
Family of Apps Q4 2025: $58.9B revenue, $30.8B operating income — a 52% operating margin that funds the infrastructure build-out.
This is part of a comprehensive analysis. Read the full analysis on The Business Engineer.









