“There is a lot to build during times like this, so rather than putting the brakes on hard, as a lot of companies might do, it’s important to keep investing in new needs,” said Mark Zuckerberg, the boss of the social network, during the conference call on the results of the past quarter.
“It is a question of opportunity and responsibility,” he added.
From January to March, Facebook achieved $ 17.7 billion in revenue, up 18% year on year, to nearly $ 5 billion in net profit.
What to reassure investors: the title of the giant of social networks took almost 10% after the close of the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday.
Three billion people now use at least once a month one of the group’s four platforms (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger), the founder said.
“Obviously, I would have liked [passer ce cap] under different circumstances and I do not expect this peak in use to continue, ”he admitted. “But I believe that we are witnessing an acceleration of pre-existing trends, such as private online communications.”
Potentials
In fact, the market leader has already started to take into account the evolution of uses, such as the explosion of video calls (they have doubled on the two messaging systems) or live broadcasts (which have also doubled on the two networks. … In a week).
Facebook launched a new service last week, Messenger Rooms, which lets you create virtual “rooms” to “drop in” to friends – a promising tool in the age of aperitifs on Zoom, the flagship video conferencing software of the. “Great containment”.
The announcements of massive layoffs follow one another, but the Californian company will recruit 10,000 people.
The platform must continue to offer attractive advertising products to encourage companies to spend despite the economic crisis. On WhatsApp, for example, so far the only ad-free app.
“WhatsApp represents a huge opportunity: two billion people use it and we have not yet made significant efforts to develop + WhatsApp Business + (a tool for SMEs),” said Mark Zuckerberg.
The group’s electronic equipment business – primarily the Portal line of connected screens and Oculus virtual reality headsets – also strengthened its potential. It jumped 80% in one year, to $ 297 million.
Oculus Quest, the latest, “exceeded our expectations. I would like us to be able to manufacture more, more quickly! ”Enthuses the boss.
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