(ANSA) - ROME, FEBRUARY 02 - The number of people who use Facebook on a daily basis rose to an average of two billion in December: a quarter of the world's population, reports the BBC.
The stronger-than-expected growth helped create renewed optimism about the company, which has come under pressure from rising costs and plunging advertising sales.
Shares of parent company Meta surged more than 15% in after-hours trading after Mark Zuckerberg called 2023 the "year of efficiency".
"We're in a different environment now," he said, pointing to the company's revenue, which declined in 2022 for the first time in its history after years of double-digit growth.
"We don't expect this to continue, but I also don't think it will go back to the way it was," said Meta, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, announced a major renovation last year, cutting offices and cutting 11,000 jobs, equivalent to about 13% of the staff.
(HANDLE).
