Facebook’s user growth faltered in the latest quarter, the first stagnation in the social network’s history, part of dire earnings that caused Meta Platforms Inc’s stock to collapse 20% in pre-market trading on Thursday, wiping about $200 billion from its market value.
The company also gave a disappointing sales forecast for the current period, and Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg, who saw his personal wealth potentially plummet about $24 billion, acknowledged that Meta is facing serious competition for user time and attention, particularly from viral video-sharing app TikTok.
The dour outlook and stalled user momentum is a dramatic turnaround for a…
