Meta's advertising revenue grew by 26 percent year-on-year in the third quarter to reach $63.1 billion, outpacing Google Search's 12 percent growth as the two businesses reached nearly equal size.
The 14 percentage point gap marked the widest difference in Meta's favour since 2021, supporting CEO Mark Zuckerberg's argument that AI investments are helping advertisers target users more effectively on Facebook and Instagram.
Google faces mounting challenges as AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude alter user search habits by providing direct answers, potentially reducing visits and ad clicks on traditional search result links.