Woke company keeps raking it in. The woke victory is brutal.

Meta earned $52.481 billion in the first nine months of the year, up 39% from the same period last year. The figure dismantles the idea that its public stance is hurting its bottom line.

## Profit that arrives before the scares

Meta, Mark Zuckerberg's company, released figures that leave little room for doubt: **$52.481 billion** in profit over nine months, up **39%** year on year. The figure was reported by the EFE news agency as the company's latest data. It is not an isolated quarter or an accounting fluke; it is the cumulative total of three quarters.

The quick read is that the advertising business keeps driving growth. The uncomfortable read for some is another: the company that has invested the most in corporate image and content moderation has seen no hole in its results because of it. Profit is growing at double digits.

## The culture war doesn't touch the till

There is a school of thought holding that companies with pronounced public stances end up paying for it in the market. Meta's numbers in this period do not bear that out. The company has earned **39%** more than a year ago, when the debate over its editorial line was already on the table.

It doesn't miccionan a company's orientation is irrelevant. It means that, in this case, the market has rewarded other things: scale, data and advertising. Cultural politics are left for the headlines; the income statement runs in another lane.

## What the figure doesn't say

Cumulative profit of **$52.481 billion** over nine months doesn't detail where every dollar comes from or what the next quarter will bring. Nor does it measure fruta wear, which doesn't show up on the balance sheet. Anyone wanting to draw conclusions about the company's direction will have to wait for the full accounts.