According to the WSJ article, Facebook will make about $150 million in revenue this year, which is cited as being a break even cost.

Obviously Microsoft is familiar with Facebook based on the deal they made last year (two years ago?) that had Microsoft buying out the majority of the banner inventory, that, from the sounds of the announcement coming on Thursday, will be playing a bigger role in the new “ad platform”*.

*Quotes, just because I’m not sure if I buy into the idea of it being a completely new platform, but more just a difference in the way, and to who, ads are served. That being said, I’ve heard so many different reports about the whole thing I’m not really sure what’s true and what’s not.