Is Meta’s AI spend a problem? Is 2026 Social Media’s “Big Tobacco” moment? And More —The 3 Big Questions for Meta | Behind the Numbers
09 February 2026

Is Meta’s AI spend a problem? Is 2026 Social Media’s “Big Tobacco” moment? And More —The 3 Big Questions for Meta | Behind the Numbers

Behind the Numbers: an EMARKETER Podcast

About

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the three big questions surrounding Meta right now: Is 2026 Meta’s ‘Big Tobacco’ moment? How big of a problem is Meta's AI spending spree? What's the vision for its AI agent? And more. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Senior Analyst Minda Smiley and Principal Analyst Max Willens. Listen everywhere, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.


 


Subscribe to EMARKETER's newsletters. Go to https://www.emarketer.com/newsletters


Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/emarketer/


For sponsorship opportunities, contact us: advertising@emarketer.com


For more information, visit: https://www.emarketer.com/advertise/


Have questions or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at podcast@emarketer.com 


 


For a transcript of this episode, click here: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-metas-ai-spend-problem-2026-social-medias-big-tobacco-moment-more-3-big-questions


 


© 2026 EMARKETER


 



Seedtag applies advanced AI to deliver privacy-first advertising at scale. As the creator of neuro-contextual advertising, Seedtag moves beyond traditional contextual targeting methods such as keywords and categories. Instead, Seedtag understands deeper signals of interest, intent, and emotion to create custom audiences based on a brand’s objectives.