Meta warns election backlash will make data centers harder to build

Meta's playbook for local deals

Powell McCormick said Meta has built data centers for 20 years and now operates them in 23 states. Five projects, including one in Texas, are planned at 1 gigawatt or more.

Communities, she argued, want data centers only when they benefit in some way. Meta's approach to closing local deals includes paying for its own electricity, directing any resulting tax surplus toward teachers and first responders, keeping the labor force local and securing bipartisan support. She expects future projects to face more review and to be weighed against whether residents actually want them. "It has been hard, I should say, but I also think that it's becoming clear what models work," she said.

Betting on value and monetization

Meta hopes to improve public sentiment by demonstrating the value of the technology itself, not just the facilities. Powell McCormick said CEO Mark Zuckerberg is "very 'long human'" and argued that AI should be democratized and available in a fair and transparent way.

The company is counting on its AI investments, particularly its consumer agent Muse, which has 10 million users today, to grow into a business serving billions. If that does not happen, she said, the compute will still have value. "We're getting calls every day to lease that compute, and so one way or another, we're seeing a path to monetization."