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Aslan Research · Cloud & platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc. (META)

Data as of 2026-08-21 · 27 quarters · filed in USD

Meta’s $225.0 billion of trailing-year revenue sits against $143.0 billion of expenses, while its committed obligations grew 45% per year versus 19% annual revenue growth. The latest figures also show commitments at 1.3x reported debt, with leases making up the amount beyond debt.

Revenue, last 12 mo $225B to 2026-06-30
Spend, last 12 mo $143B cost + R&D + admin + tax
Debt they report $84B balance-sheet borrowings
Money promised $112B debt + leases + purchases
Unrealized revenue $1.2B + — signed backlog
Due in next 5 years $549B the obligation wall

Earned, collected early, and merely signed

revenue (qtr)deferredQ3 '19Q3 '21Q1 '23Q4 '24Q2 '26$31B$63B

Reports $84B of debt; has promised $112B

Total committed money is $112.3 billion, or 1.3x reported debt of $83.7 billion. The difference is tied to $28.7 billion of leases, not additional reported borrowings.

promisedreported debtQ3 '19Q3 '21Q1 '23Q4 '24Q2 '26$59B$118B

What the promised total is made of, latest quarter

debtleasespurchase deals
today
74%
26%

Spending, by reported line

Cost of revenueR&DSelling & adminTax
2020
29%
32%
32%
2021
29%
31%
30%
10%
2022
27%
38%
29%
2023
27%
40%
25%
9%
2024
29%
42%
20%
8%
2025
25%
40%
17%
18%

When the promises come due

The next five years carry $549.1 billion of commitments against just $540 million of future revenue promised for that period. After year five, another $18.4 billion of commitments has no stated due-year band.

$549Bnext 5 years$0years 5–10$0beyond 10$18Bafter yr 5, undated$540Mrevenue promised to them

The rates that matter

Revenue growth /yr 19% 2020-Q4 → 2026-Q2
Expense growth /yr 19%
Promised money /yr 45%
Reported debt /yr 77%
Deferred revenue /yr 28%
Quarters re-stated 21 of 27 by cited reconciliation

Expenses as filed vs after cited reconciliation

$12Bfiled2019$12Breality2019$57Bfiled2020$56Breality2020$79Bfiled2021$77Breality2021$93Bfiled2022$91Breality2022$96Bfiled2023$94Breality2023$103Bfiled2024$41Breality2024$143Bfiled2025$84Breality2025$73Bfiled2026$73Breality2026

7 patterns worth a second look

The sharpest flagged item is a post-period transaction involving a $12.3 billion lease commitment, a $28 billion guarantee, and a $2.6 billion distribution. The filings also identify $68 billion of additional data-center leases entered into after the reporting period, plus venture guarantees, unconsolidated-entity exposure, and related-party commitments involving Blue Owl Capital affiliates. Reported performance also includes restructuring, settlement, tax, and investment-related items described as non-recurring.

circular financing · 1

The filings report large equity investments in entities that also appear in the company’s operating ecosystem, including Jio Platforms and Scale AI.

off balance sheet · 1

The filings report substantial obligations for leases not yet commenced and later disclose venture guarantees and unconsolidated-entity exposure.

one time dressing · 1

The filings identify restructuring, settlement, tax, and investment-related items that materially affect reported performance but are non-recurring in nature.

redefinition · 1

The reporting of non-cancelable commitments expands materially from operating and infrastructure obligations to cloud and infrastructure supplier commitments.

related party exposure · 1

The filings report increasingly material commitments and guarantees involving ventures affiliated with funds managed by Blue Owl Capital.

subsequent event · 2

The FY2025 Q3 filing reports a post-period venture transaction involving a $12.3 billion lease commitment, a $28 billion guarantee, and a $2.6 billion distribution.

The FY2026 Q2 filing reports additional data-center leases of approximately $68 billion entered into after the reporting period.

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