Ackman's Major Stake in Meta
Billionaire investor and hedge fund manager Bill Ackman is making a significant gamble on the future of Mark Zuckerberg and his Meta Platforms. Ackman has allegedly committed an estimated $2 billion to Meta, representing a sizable 10% of Pershing Square’s total portfolio, according to The Wall Street Journal. This move constitutes public backing of Zuckerberg’s pivot from the Metaverse to superintelligence, positioning Meta as a key beneficiary of AI integration.
Purchase Details and Early Gains
Pershing Square started buying Meta last November at an average price of $625 per share. Today, Meta stock trades near $670, providing Ackman with an early gain. While Ackman’s investment reflects a bullish stance, Meta’s balance sheet raises concerns among some market experts.
Meta's Strategic Shift from Metaverse
Meta’s Reality Labs has lost $83 billion since 2020, and the company cut 1,500 jobs, or 10% of Reality Labs’ workforce, last month. Meta is shifting focus away from virtual reality endeavors to AI-powered smart glasses, which Zuckerberg believes will be the primary way to integrate superintelligence into daily life. Neither Pershing Square nor Meta immediately returned Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
AI Infrastructure and Capex Surge
The Facebook and Instagram parent is entering a period of unprecedented capital expenditure to build data centers and talent pools for artificial intelligence. Meta’s fourth quarter and full-year 2025 report, released last month, indicates expected spending of $115 billion to $135 billion in 2026, primarily on front-loading AI infrastructure. Meta stock has declined over the past several months and remains lower year over year, amid investor concerns that its AI spending may be too aggressive. In Pershing Square’s investor presentation, Ackman called the stock deeply discounted.
Broader Portfolio Positioning
Ackman is not just betting on Meta but positioning himself as a major stakeholder in America’s future tech economy. Pershing Square holds an additional $2 billion stake in Uber and a $1.3 billion stake in Amazon. The firm also announced Wednesday that it was entirely exiting its position in Hilton, signaling a move away from traditional hospitality toward high-growth technology.
