"It hurts to see bad people win, but Meta, the company that burned billions trying to make the metaverse a thing, remains eye-wateringly profitable, thanks almost entirely to its advertising business, which accounted for 98 percent of its total revenue in the second quarter of 2025.

And soon, if Meta executives have their way, that advertising will be powered by so-called artificial intelligence"and shocking quantities of fossil fuels"all so they can convince you to buy more stuff."