The quarterly reports arrive, not as pronouncements of prosperity, but as bureaucratic decrees. Meta Platforms and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, two entities seemingly disparate, have, through a process no one fully understands, registered positive deviations from the expected norm. This is not to suggest triumph, merely an absence of immediate collapse. The prevailing currents suggest growth, though whether this growth benefits anyone beyond the meticulously constructed algorithms remains, as always, uncertain.
The phenomenon, if it can be called that, appears linked to the relentless expansion of artificial intelligence. Both companies, it seems, have managed to position themselves within the labyrinthine network of this new order. They are not driving the system, only navigating its predetermined corridors. The resultant increase in valuation is, of course, a secondary effect, a ripple in the opaque waters of the market, and a distraction from the deeper, more troubling implications.
One is compelled to examine the specific mechanisms through which this “growth” is achieved, though the exercise feels akin to charting the movements of dust motes in a perpetual storm. Nevertheless, a cursory investigation reveals the following.
1. The Illusion of Connection
Meta Platforms, the self-proclaimed king of social interaction, continues to accumulate users. Billions now willingly submit to the relentless data extraction, believing they are engaging in “connection.” The daily active user count rises, a meaningless statistic in the face of existential solitude. The company has begun to “lean into” artificial intelligence, a phrase that evokes images of a faceless entity exerting pressure on an already strained system. AI tools are developed for advertisers, for content creation, and even for consumer devices, all designed to further refine the process of manipulation. The aim, ostensibly, is to make the apps more “appealing,” but the true purpose is to enhance the efficiency of targeted advertising, a process that feels less like commerce and more like a subtle form of control.
The reported revenue of $200 billion is, in itself, a staggering figure, yet it obscures the fact that significant portions of the company’s potential remain untapped. WhatsApp and Threads, two platforms teeming with personal data, are only beginning to be “monetized.” The planned capital expenditures of $135 billion are presented as an investment in the future, but one cannot help but wonder if it is merely a desperate attempt to shore up a fundamentally unstable structure. The system demands constant expansion, even if that expansion is ultimately pointless.
2. The Foundry and the Inevitable
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, the world’s leading chip manufacturer, has benefited from the insatiable demand for processing power driven by the AI “hyperscalers.” These entities, shrouded in secrecy, are constructing vast data centers, consuming unimaginable amounts of energy, and generating an equally incomprehensible amount of data. TSMC manufactures the chips for Nvidia, which, through a series of improbable events, now controls approximately 80% of the AI data center chip market. The relationship is symbiotic, yet profoundly unsettling. One relies on the other, and both are subject to forces beyond their control.
The reported revenue growth of 20.5% and earnings growth of 35% are presented as positive indicators, but they merely confirm the relentless march of the inevitable. McKinsey & Company estimates that global data center spending could reach $6.7 trillion by 2030, a figure that is both astronomical and terrifying. The projected annualized earnings growth of 30% for TSMC suggests that this trend will continue, with no end in sight. The stock trades at 34 times earnings, a valuation that seems almost reasonable, given the circumstances. One can only conclude that we are all, to some extent, trapped within this system, and that the illusion of control is merely a comforting fiction.
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2026-02-23 18:23