Billionaire hedge fund managers are increasingly investing in Meta Platforms, Inc., believing the company has the potential to mirror the success of Apple. As of December 24, Meta’s stock price reached $667.55, marking a slight rise of 0.39% over the holiday season, and boasting a market capitalization exceeding $1.7 trillion.
The enthusiasm surrounding Meta stems largely from its ambitious plans for a new smart-glasses platform, which is expected to revolutionize computing, reminiscent of the iPhone’s transformative impact in 2007.
In September, Meta unveiled its Ray-Ban Display AR glasses, equipped with a right-lens display and powered by a Meta Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistant. This launch serves as a precursor to the highly anticipated Orion, set to debut in 2027, featuring advanced holography with dual lenses powered by a superintelligent AI model suggested to exceed human cognitive abilities.
According to Counterpoint Research, AI smart glasses made up a staggering 78% of total shipments in the first half of 2025, a significant increase from 46% in the previous year and 66% in the second half of 2024. This growth is largely attributed to the market dominance of Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses, with the AI glasses segment experiencing an impressive year-over-year growth of over 250%, far surpassing the overall market.
Analyst Malik Ahmed Khan from Morningstar states, “Meta is a digital advertising juggernaut poised to increase its market share.” This sentiment is echoed by hedge fund managers, including Israel Englander of Millennium Management, who recently added 793,500 shares of Meta to his portfolio, alongside two million shares of Alphabet. Both stocks now rank among his top ten holdings. Notably, Ken Griffin’s Citadel acquired 1.4 million shares, making it the fourth-largest holder, while Philippe Laffont’s Coatue added 355,000 shares, marking a significant bet for the firm.
Despite the ongoing financial struggles of Reality Labs, which has reported substantial losses, Meta’s advertising revenue surged by 14% year-over-year in Q3 2025, fueled by AI-driven targeting and creative tools that enhanced conversion rates on Instagram and Facebook. Should the Orion project successfully integrate superintelligence, the resulting smart glasses could potentially eclipse smartphones, establishing Meta as a leading hardware figure.
However, competition remains fierce, particularly with Apple’s Vision Pro, emphasizing that successful implementation will be crucial. For optimistic investors, the growing interest from hedge funds suggests a promising outlook for Meta as it aims for dominance in the 2030s.